Masters low amateur, Neal Shipley, addresses creepy stare, Tiger Woods note gate

Masters low amateur, Neal Shipley, addresses creepy stare, Tiger Woods note gate

Neal Shipley won low amateur at The Masters Tournament last week. The Ohio State golfer was the only non-professional to even make the cut.

However, two moments on Sunday caught fans’ attention. His reaction to a question about Tiger Woods handing him a note and his odd facial expressions in Butler Cabin.

The internet ran with them as Shipley became a massive storyline. Sports personality Pat McAfee had Shipley on his show to discuss the viral moments.

“I was so nervous. 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. I was trying to look at the teleprompter that was going on so I knew my cues, and I looked like a dumbass,” Shipley explained of the creepy stare that took over Twitter.

McAfee also could not let Shipley go without asking about the odd reaction during his post-round press conference.

Allegedly, Tiger handed Shipley a note, but the amateur insisted that it did not happen.

He broke down that situation as well.

“This guy from Yahoo Sports — I don’t know who he is. I’m sure he’s a nice guy. Everyone else in the press room was there, like 20 people — I probably met about 15 of them. Then this guy from Yahoo Sports, who I’ve never met, says that to me, and I look over to the moderator like, who the hell is this guy? Because it just didn’t happen — I was so confused, that’s why I was so shocked.”

Shipley quickly garnered attention following those two instances. However, it seems both were just him being an amateur on one of the biggest stages in golf.

His actions did put him on the internet radar though. His Ohio State teammates saw it all go down, and Shipley explained his “boys back in Columbus” went wild for him. He also noted they roasted him in the group chat after it all went down.

When he returned to Columbus, a video of his teammates celebrating with him also found its way to Golf Twitter.

They were so excited for him and welcomed him home with a water bath.

It typically takes a special player to earn low amateur at The Masters, such as Viktor Hovland, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Cantlay, Hideki Matsuyama, Matt Kuchar, and Sergio Garcia. All of these guys have multiple wins on the PGA Tour. Some have gone on to win the Green Jacket or another major.

Shipley will get another chance to play on one of golf’s biggest stages as he will be at Valhalla Golf Club for the PGA Championship in May.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.