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While most golf fans were watching Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa go head-to-head in a thrilling battle Sunday at the Workday Charity Open, a Northwestern alum earned his first win on the minor league tour of golf. David Lipsky, a 2011 NU graduate and All-America award winner, shot 25-under on the week in the TPC San Antonio Challenge, good enough for a four-stroke victory.
The Korn Ferry Tour is a breeding ground for PGA Tour golfers, and the win marks a big step towards Lipsky earning his professional tour card for the upcoming season. At the end of the year, the top 25 golfers on the Korn Ferry Tour earn cards, and Lipsky jumped to 11th place with the victory.
Entering this week's @TPCSanAntonio Challenge at the Canyons, @David_Lipsky stood No. 82 on the #KornFerryTour Points List.
— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) July 12, 2020
With a four-stroke win, he moves to 11th on The 25, as he eyes his first @PGATOUR card. pic.twitter.com/qFkzsACMCO
Lipsky’s career has had its highs and lows, but it certainly hasn’t lacked success. He has two victories on the European Tour in addition to two made cuts at major championships, but he hasn’t yet earned his tour card. That would be the biggest achievement in the 31-year-old’s career due to the financial security that comes with trying to make it on the PGA Tour.
• 2014 Omega European Masters.
— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) July 12, 2020
• 2018 Alfred Dunhill Championship.
• 2020 @TPCSanAntonio Challenge.
Two-time @EuropeanTour winner @David_Lipsky now holds his first professional title in the United States. pic.twitter.com/ghv92YnO8v
The home stretch of the Korn Ferry’s COVID-adjusted schedule is coming in the next few months, and tracking Lipsky’s progress will be fun for NU sports and golf fans alike. If he can make it at the end of the year, he’d join two fellow Wildcats, former world number one Luke Donald and US Amateur champion Matthew Fitzpatrick, on tour.