Neal Shipley turned heads on Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club for literally turning his head on two separate occasions.
The first came during Shipley’s post-round press conference after he had secured Low Amateur honours. At the Masters, when you are brought into the interview room, the presser is conducted by one of the club’s members, who sit directly beside the player taking the questions.
At the very end of the interview, Shipley was asked about a note Tiger Woods handed to him at some point during the round. What happened next was about as awkward as it gets:
Really weird sequence pic.twitter.com/SLkbAiTnAN
— Matt Graeff (@mattgraeffgolf) April 14, 2024
As you can see, Shipley’s head immediately darted to his right upon hearing the question. The green jacket sitting next to him offered no guidance, but Shipley was quick on his feet and denied any note handoff.
Some might say “nothing to see here,” others might think he was told to keep his lip zipped regarding whatever this so-called note was from Woods. Knowing how Augusta National operates, will never actually know what this was about.
Later in the evening, Shipley found himself back in front of the cameras in the oddly-intimate setting that is Butler Cabin, where the Low Amateur gets to sit beside the current and former Masters winners, as well as chairman Fred Ridley and CBS’ Jim Nantz. While Ridley was congratulating Shipley, cameras captured his eyes looking at something off camera, and the internet is dying to know what it was:
What the heck is Neil, low amateur, looking at while the Chairman of Augusta is addressing him😳😳 pic.twitter.com/okSX87BmJW
— Stephen Roche (@StephenRoche100) April 14, 2024
Yet again, this is a simple nothing-to-see-here situation or something much weirder is taking place off camera. At Augusta, things seem to always fall somewhere in between.
Naturally, the memes began flowing like the salmon of capistrano:
Neal Shipley rn pic.twitter.com/kqK5YJnftm
— Fore Play (@ForePlayPod) April 14, 2024
Neal Shipley in Butler Cabin pic.twitter.com/gUSknA81eG
— Shooter McGavin (@ShooterMcGavin_) April 15, 2024
What the hell was Neal Shipley looking at? #themasters pic.twitter.com/bGgccPTf6s
— DrunkByTheTurn (@DBTTofficial) April 14, 2024
Neal Shipley in Butler Cabin https://t.co/g2Emz83iiN
— Mark Fox (@ThePluggedLie) April 14, 2024
Who does Neal Shipley keep looking at??? 😂 pic.twitter.com/A4IfWZM28X
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) April 14, 2024
You play a round with Tiger Woods at Augusta and then become a meme. What a day for Neal Shipley pic.twitter.com/dyGK0yMkKV
— Ali Hampson Silk (@alihampsonsilk) April 14, 2024
That’s exactly right, Ali. That’s the power of playing with Tiger Woods, at the Masters, and earning Low Amateur honours. One minute your just another guy and the next you are going mega viral for simply looking at things. What a week for Neal Shipley.