Neal Shipley wins LECOM Suncoast Classic in playoff for first Korn Ferry Tour victory

Neal Shipley defeats Seungtaek Lee with a birdie on the fifth hole (par-4 18th) of a sudden-death playoff to earn his first Korn Ferry Tour win at the LECOM Suncoast Classic.

Charting the champion (stats updated through tournament)

Neal Shipley (first/-18)

• Earns first Korn Ferry Tour title at 24 years, 3 months, 27 days of age, becoming the fifth winner under the age of 30 this season
• Becomes the second rookie winner and sixth first-time winner of the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour season
• Led the field with 30 birdies this week
• Began the 2025 season with conditional status via finishing 151-200 from the 2024 FedExCup standings; posted T9/The Panama Championship followed by T15/Astara Chile Classic presented by Scotiabank to climb the Korn Ferry Tour priority ranking
• Entered the week with two made cuts in seven previous Korn Ferry Tour starts (T9/The Panama Championship, T15/Astara Chile Classic presented by Scotiabank)
• Has made 11 career starts on the PGA TOUR (best finish: T6/ISCO Championship)
• Finished No. 20 in the 2024 Fortinet Cup standings on PGA TOUR Americas off the strength of three top-10s in five starts, highlighted by a runner-up finish to 2024 Fortinet Cup champion Johnny Keefer
• Low amateur at the 2024 Masters Tournament and 2024 U.S. Open; earned exemptions into these events via his runner-up finish to PGA TOUR winner Nick Dunlap at the 2023 U.S. Amateur
• Played three seasons at James Madison University (2019-22) and his remaining two seasons of eligibility at Ohio State University (2022-24); claimed his lone collegiate victory at the 2024 Southwestern Invitational.

Additional notes

• KPGA Tour winner Seungtaek Lee (second/-18), records his first career runner-up finish and second top-10 in his sixth career start on the Korn Ferry Tour; earned Korn Ferry Tour membership via a T14 finish at Final Stage of 2024 PGA TOUR Q-School.
• Korn Ferry Tour Points List leader Hank Lebioda (third/-17) strengthens his hold on the No. 1 position with his Tour-leading fifth top-10 finish of the 2025 season.
• Winner of the 2025 Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard, Kyle Westmoreland (T4/-16), ends bogey-bogey on the par-3 17th and par 4-18th to post a final-round 5-under 66; moves to No. 7 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List off the strength of his victory and top-five finish this week.
• The 54-hole leader/co-leader Trey Winstead (T4/-16) records his third top-10 of the season (others: T7/2025 The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club, T7/2025 Astara Chile Classic presented by Scotiabank).
• Marcelo Rozo (T4/-16) eagles the par-4 18th to post his best finish of the season, and first top-five finish since the 2019 NV5 Invitational, where he lost in a playoff to 13-time PGA TOUR winner Scottie Scheffler.
• Third-year member Alistair Docherty (seventh/-14), who finished No. 32 on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List and narrowly missed out on a TOUR card (top 30 from Points List), posts his second top-10 finish of the season (other: T6/2025 The Panama Championship).
• First-year member Runchanapong Youprayong (T8/-14) records his first top-10 of the season in what is his third career start on the Korn Ferry Tour; posts his career-low 72-hole score, totaling 14-under 270 (previous: 8-under 272/2025 Visa Argentina Open presented by Macro/finished T44).
• Four-time Korn Ferry Tour winner Robby Shelton (T8/-14), who finished No. 141 in the 2024 FedExCup Fall standings on the PGA TOUR, posts his second top-10 finish of the season (other: T5/The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club).
• Korn Ferry Tour winner Trace Crowe (T8/-14), who finished No. 148 in the 2024 FedExCup Fall standings after earning his first TOUR card via Final Stage of 2023 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry (top five and ties earned TOUR membership), posts his best finish on the Korn Ferry Tour since the 2023 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship (finished T7).
• Two-time Korn Ferry Tour winner David Kocher (T13/-13), who entered the 2025 season with conditional status, logs his first top-10 on the Korn Ferry Tour this season, and best since the 2023 Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Woodhouse (finished T5).