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Prior to Monday night, no golfer had managed to record a hole-in-one at a TGL event. Neal Shipley became the first to do so by recording an ace during the match that marked his debut with the virtual league, and he’s managed to stir up some debate thanks to the stance he took when asked whether or not he thinks it counts as a “real” one.
Most golfers will never get to experience what it’s like to record a hole-in-one. The odds of an average player making one are 1 in 12,500, and the National Hole-in-One Registry estimates just 1 to 2% of people who hit the links each year end up checking that box (an estimate that still seems high at first glance).
That feat can be a fairly contentious one in a sport that has a bit of a reputation for gatekeeping, as some people have a strict set of criteria when it comes to determining what counts as a legitimate ace.
In theory, anyone who puts the ball in the hole with their first shot off the tee should be credited with one. However, some haters will argue it shouldn’t count if it comes on a par-3 course (tracks commonly referred to as a “pitch and putt”) and will object if they don’t believe the distance from the tee to the cup was long enough.
Things get even murkier if you want to claim a hole-in-one that was recorded on a simulator thanks to a number of variables that are theoretically eliminated in that particular realm, which is exactly what Neal Shipley did when he took part in his first-ever TGL match.
Neal Shipley controversially claimed the hole-in-one he made while competing in a TGL event counts as a legitimate ace
Most golf fans were introduced to Neal Shipley when he secured his spot as the low amateur (and was paired up with Tiger Woods) at The Masters in 2024 and subsequently found himself thrust into the spotlight thanks to his awkward body language during an interview in Butler Cabin after the tournament wrapped up.
The former Ohio State golfer (who started his college career at James Madison) turned pro later that year, and he earned his PGA Tour card on the Korn Ferry Tour last year before kicking off his rookie season in January (he finished in a tie for 68th at the WM Phoenix Open after missing the cut in his first three events).
On Monday, he got the chance to compete in a TGL match for the first time when he joined Luke Clanton and Min Woo Lee as one of the three members of The Bay Golf Club who faced off against a Los Angeles Golf Club squad comprised of Tony Finau, Tommy Fleetwood, and Sahith Theegala.
Shipley and Co. cruised to an 11-5 victory, and the 25-year-old helped pad the 3-0 lead they had heading into the fifth hole, a 110-yard par-3 dubbed “Set in Stone,” with the hole-in-one that marked the first ace in TGL history.
We were treated to quite the scene at the SoFi Center, and after the match wrapped up, Shipley got to reflect on the ace with his teammates, who both said they’d count it as a “real” hole-in-one before he affirmed he was doing the same.
Neal Shipley made the first ace in @TGL history Monday night. He, Min Woo Lee and Luke Clanton were then asked if it counts as a career hole-in-one.
Shipley: 100 percent.
Lee: The celebration definitely —
Clanton: No doubt
Shipley: I think so. I’m going to count it.
Clanton:… pic.twitter.com/1k4K9wdfYn— Cameron Jourdan (@Cam_Jourdan) February 10, 2026
That decision managed to spark a fair amount of debate on social media, and most of the people who hopped into the comments to chime in did not agree with his stance that an ace on a simulator should count as an actual hole-in-one even if the simulator in question is one of the most impressive ones on the planet.
It’s worth noting Justin Rose also took the same stance after he made what was both the first albatross in TGL and the first one of his career with a 225-shot on a par-5 in January (which was responsible for triggering some similar discourse).
However, Shipley noted he has made multiple holes-in-one on an actual course before getting one on a fake one, so he thankfully has other ones to cling to if other people decide to press the issue.