“Nobody in the press room really knew who he was” – Neal Shipley on the reporter who asked the Tiger Woods question

Neal Shipley was the only amateur to make the cut at the 2024 Masters, earning him the Low Amateur Award in his first Major appearance. However, none of the above surpasses his experience in the final round, where he was paired with Tiger Woods.

Other experiences that will undoubtedly remain in his memory were his interviews, particularly the one that gave rise to what is now known as “Note Gate.” When a reporter asked Shipley about a note he supposedly received from Tiger Woods, he flatly denied it.

Neal Shipley spoke about the incident ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ and said:

“This guy from Yahoo Sports — I don’t know who he is. Nobody in the press room really knew who he was. 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,” he added.
Neal Shipley shared his experience of being the low amateur in the tournament, describing the moment when it was his turn to speak on national television.

“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 dumba**.”
Another interesting story Neal Shipley told was about the possibility of playing with Tiger Woods:

“That was the freaking coolest day of my life. That was. Can’t beat that. Tiger [Woods] was so cool. That’s probably once in a lifetime for me. He doesn’t play very much anymore, and who knows when I will be back in a situation playing with him. Gosh, it was unbelievable.”

Neal Shipley’s performance at The Masters 2024

Neal Shipley was one of five amateurs to tee off at The Masters Tournament. The Ohio State grad student had a solid first round, scoring 1 under and finishing in the middle of the leaderboard.

Friday (April 19) was not so good for Shipley at the Augusta National, as he scored 4 over. However, it was good enough to make the cut, something the other four amateurs couldn’t do.

The third round was the least favorable for Shipley, as he posted 8 over. However, he was able to improve significantly for the final round (1 over) with the added boost of playing in front of legend Tiger Woods.