Niall Shiels Donegan is a promising amateur golfer with a fascinating background in the game. Discover more about his life and career to date via these facts.
NIALL SHIELS DONEGAN FACTS
1. Shiels Donegan was born in Glasgow, Scotland on July 14, 2005 - the first day of The Open Championship at St Andrews.
2. His parents are called Lawrence Donegan and Maggie Shiels. Donegan is a former golf columnist at The Guardian while Shiels used to work for the BBC before taking a job with Google.
3. Shiels Donegan and his family moved to Mill Valley in the Bay area of California when he was just three years old due to his mom's job with Google.
4. He attended Tamalpais High School, where he played several sports - including soccer, lacrosse, baseball and volleyball.
5. Shiels Donegan played golf at a nine-hole course called Mill Valley Golf Club growing up before receiving an honorary membership at the Meadow Club - Alister Mackenzie’s first US design.
6. In 2021, he was a semi-finalist at the Boys Amateur Championship in the UK. The following year, Shield Donegan finished second at the England U18's Championship - the Carris Trophy.
7. He won the Hawaii State Amateur Championship by seven strokes in 2022 and then successfully defended his title in 2023.
8. Shiels Donegan competed internationally in several different competitions throughout 2022. He was a part of the Scottish team at the European Boys Team Championship, he posted an undefeated record in the Home Internationals for Scotland, and he was team captain for Team GB&I at the Jacques Leglise Trophy.
9. Shiels Donegan was recruited by Northwestern University where he spent his freshman and sophomore years studying economics. He then transferred to the University of North Carolina ahead of his Junior year (2025-26).
This has to be one of the greatest post-round interviews in U.S. Amateur history. See you tomorrow, Niall! pic.twitter.com/YBoge7IrEhAugust 15, 2025
10. He reached the match play stage of the 2025 US Amateur before knocking out stroke play medallist, Preston Stout in the last-16. He was followed by around 100 friends and family during the round and they celebrated wildly when he triumphed 1up on the 18th green.
11. He missed out on qualifying for The Open Championship at Royal Portrush in 2025 by a single stroke at Dundonald Links. Shiels Donegan carded rounds of 70 and 71 to finish on three-under.
12. Shiels Donegan had risen as high as 91st in the world before his run at the 2025 US Amateur.
NIALL SHIELS DONEGAN BIO
Born |
July 14, 2005 - Glasgow, Scotland |
Home Town |
Mill Valley, California |
Height |
6ft2in (1.83m) |
College |
Northwestern University (2023-25), University of North Carolina (2025-) |
Best WAGR |
91st |
