When Neal Shipley learned that he would be playing with Tiger Woods in his Sunday red for their fourth and final round at the Masters, he could hardly believe it.
The 23-year-old hails from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and placed second behind Nick Dunlap at the 2023 US Amateur Championship. Additionally, he had the opportunity to stroll alongside 15-time major champion Woods on Sunday at Augusta National.
Woods struggled once more, finishing the tournament with a 16-over score after shooting 77. Shipley, on the other hand, had a better day and turned up a score of 73. Occasionally, one may observe both players conversing. And on the sixteenth, following an exceptionally well-executed tee shot by the amateur, he and Woods strolled together up to the green.
Naturally, he spent a lot of time discussing his experience playing with Woods during his post-round remarks, and he was candid about how he learned about it.
Disappointed with his performance on Saturday, Shipley went to the range to work hard after a round of 80. He was told at that point. “We went quickly to the practice facility to get some work in,” he stated. “Hey, guess who we are going to be paired with tomorrow?” my caddy said to me.
“I thought, ‘There’s no way that’s Tiger.'” And he responded, “Yes.”The emotions changed as soon as I became somewhat aroused.”
When pressed about the topics of their conversation, Shipley claimed that most of it was rather informal. Charlie and I had a great conversation about golf and other everyday topics. He’s such a cool guy, and such a regular man.
“I had a wonderful day with him. I am incredibly grateful for his amazing performance tonight. It was amazing to be in his presence and witness the attention and roars he receives. The attendance was incredible.”
Woods Tiger and Shipley Neal
Throughout their round, Tiger Woods and Neal Shipley had frequent conversations (Image: Getty Images).)
Shipley didn’t want to take any chances, so he introduced himself before the round and continued their chat a little bit.
Yes, I introduced myself to Tiger by going over there. Earlier this week, I had seen Lance, his caddie. I approached them to say “hi” and had a brief conversation with Charlie while putting in the green. Charlie has been spotted by me in Old Palm and other locations. Reconnecting with those folks is very nice.
It’s undoubtedly one of my more laid-back rounds of the week, in my opinion. I believe Tiger gave me a very warm welcome. He was kind of cool, chit-chatting away. Nothing special, just a laid-back round with Tiger except from your presence at the Masters.
“We struck up a conversation about golf courses, including Oakmont. It was also somewhat humorous. “Yeah, I like the old Oakmont with trees,” he says. I thought, ‘I’m not old enough to recall that Oakmont.'”
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