‘I was so shocked!’ Amateur hero reveals all on awkward Masters moment

Sunday was a big day for Neal Shipley.

The 88th Masters’ Low Amateur not only got to play in the final round with Tiger Woods at Augusta, he also became a meme when he was caught side-eyeing the camera during the Green Jacket ceremony in Butler Cabin.

On that, he explained he was a bag of nerves during the traditional Masters-ending process, which also featured the new and previous champions in Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm, as well as Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley and legendary host Jim Nantz.

“I was so nervous,” Shipley said on an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. “The last thing I wanted to do was swear on national TV, or say something stupid. I also didn’t want to speak out of turn, so I was trying to look at the teleprompter so I knew my cues. I looked like a dumbass!

“I finished up all the presentations, I go back to our party house, I’ve had a few IC Lights, and my family is like, ‘Hey Neal, have you seen these memes of you?’ I’m like, ‘What memes? What are you talking about?’ Then they start absolutely roasting me for the next three hours!”

Shipley even treated McAfee and the viewers of his YouTube show to a recreation of the side-eye…

You've got GREAT periph 😂😂

"I was so nervous and I didn't wanna say something stupid..

I kept looking at the teleprompter and I looked like a dumbass" 😂😂 ~ Neal Shipley#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/jnlqtQkDYf

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 16, 2024

But it wasn’t the only time Shipley was the talk of social media following his day playing alongside Woods.

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During his post-round press conference, a reporter said he had seen the 15-time major champion pass Shipley a piece of paper on one hole.

Shipley glanced at the Green Jacket moderating the interview, then back to the room. “No,” he said. “He didn’t.” When the reporter repeated his question, Shipley replied: “No, that didn’t happen.”

🚨📝 #NoteGate — A reporter said he saw Tiger Woods write something down & hand a note to Neal Shipley in the 8th fairway.

“No no, that didn’t happen”

pic.twitter.com/1D4FBOH3Ak

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) April 14, 2024

And McAfee asked about that incident, too.

“I looked over at the moderator like, ‘Who the hell is this guy?'” Shipley explained. “Because it just didn’t happen. I was so confused and I was so shocked in the moment.”

When McAfee tells Shipley he was “taking over the internet”, the 23-year-old Ohio State student replied: “It was hilarious to see. My boys were really giving it to me – which I appreciate because I’ve got to keep my feet on the ground, and my guys back in Columbus were just going nuts at me. They really roasted me in the group chat! ”

What about that note from Tiger 😂😂

"This guy from Yahoo Sports asked that question and I was so confused..

That just didn't happen and nobody in the press room really knew who he was"

Neal Shipley #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/5i8KxKooS3

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 16, 2024

Shipley also noted that playing with the five-time Masters champion on Saturday will help him as he embarks on a PGA Tour career after college.

“It was really tough,” he said about playing Augusta. “I played like crap on Saturday, it was no good. But the best consolation prize for shooting 80 is getting to play with Tiger Woods on Sunday.

“I think it was the best thing for my career, honestly. The amount of attention I got from just that was unbelievable.”

You’ll next see Shipley, who is currently 37th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, at the US Open at Pinehurst.

Make sure you catch up on our Masters episodes of The bunkered Podcast! 

Alex Perry is the Associate Editor of bunkered. A journalist for more than 20 years, he has been a golf industry stalwart for the majority of his career and, in a five-year spell at ESPN, covered every sporting event you can think of. He completed his own Grand Slam at the 2023 Masters, having fallen in love with the sport at his hometown club of Okehampton and on the links of nearby Bude & North Cornwall.

Associate Editor