Plus, former Buckeye Maxwell Moldovan celebrated his first professional win recently with a dramatic win in Brazil.
The Masters teed off this morning at Augusta Country Club down in Georgia. Unfortunately for Ohio State fans, the tradition that is unlike any other will not feature any Buckeyes this year.
Last year, Neal Shipley made headlines when he not only finished as the tournament’s low amateur, but was also able to finish his first Masters with a memory he will never forget, as he was paired with Tiger Woods for the final round of the tournament. Shipley also would go on to finish as the low amateur in the U.S. Open a few months later.
Following his impressive performances at Augusta and Pinehurst, Shipley would turn pro, playing on the PGA Tour of the Americas, where he played well enough to earn his Korn Ferry Tour card. Unfortunately for Shipley, he hasn’t played well so far on the Korn Ferry Tour, only making the cut in two of the seven events he has entered.
Shipley’s best performance came in the Panama Championship in early February when he finished tied for ninth place.
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At least Shipley has had a few notable moments so far in 2025. In his only PGA Tour event so far this season, Shipley made the cut and finished tied for 47th at the Valspar Championship.
In the third season of Full Swing on Netflix, Shipley was featured because of his performance at last year’s Masters and his final round pairing with Tiger Woods. Shipley earned a few laughs when he said he had a “body by Waffle House”, prompting the production of a “body by Waffle House” ball marker to be made for him prior to the Valspar Championship.
While Shipley has been struggling on the Korn Ferry Tour, the same can’t be said about Maxwell Moldovan, who just earned his first win on the PGA Tour Americas. Moldovan jarred a 50-foot eagle putt on the 18th hole in the final round to beat George Markham by one shot in the 70th ECP Brazil Open.
With the victory, Moldovan got the first PGA Tour win by a Buckeye since Bo Hoag won the WinCo Farms Portland Open on the Korn Ferry Tour back in 2019. Like Shipley, Moldovan also played in last year’s U.S. Open but wasn’t able to make the cut at Pinehurst.
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The Brazil Open was the second event this year on the PGA Tour Americas. For Moldovan to earn a spot on the Korn Ferry Tour, he’ll have to finish in the top 10 of the final Fortinet Cup standings. There are also 10 exempt Korn Ferry Tour cards that can be earned via the season-long points race.
For example, the top two finishers on the Latin American swing, along with the top three finishers on the North American swing will earn exempt Korn Ferry Tour cards. Moldovan was able to put himself in a strong early position with his win over the weekend.
Even though Ohio State won’t be represented in this year’s Masters Tournament, there always is some Buckeye influence because Jack Nicklaus is a six-time champion of the event, with his last triumph at Augusta coming back in 1986.
In 1972 and 1975, Ohio State had even more representation near the top of the leaderboard, as Tom Weiskopf finished tied for second, finishing with four overall finishes in the top two for Weiskopf at Augusta during his career.
When it comes to current college golf, Ohio State will be hosting the Buckeye Classic on Friday and Saturday at the Columbus Country Club. Ohio State has struggled on the course this year, failing to finish better than sixth in any events with at least 10 teams competing.
Moldovan set a high standard with a 71.25 career scoring average, breaking the school’s career record. This year’s team is led by Tyler Sabo, whose scoring average is 73.50 this season.
Later this month, the team will participate in the Big Ten Championships that will be held in Baltimore. The NCAA Regionals will be held May 12th-14th, while the NCAA Championships take place May 23rd-28th at the Omni La Costa Resort in California.