The Masters
Masters 2024: The internet really wants to know what Neal Shipley was staring at in Butler Cabin
Ben Jared
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 honors. 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:
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:
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:
That's exactly right, Ali. That's the power of playing with Tiger Woods, at the Masters, and earning Low Amateur honors. 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.
MORE FROM GOLF DIGEST @ THE MASTERS
Masters 101: Answering all your frequently asked questions
Power Rankings: Every player in the Masters field, ranked
50 defining Masters Moments, ranked
The bogey golfer’s guide to surviving Augusta National
5 shots that players should NEVER hit at Augusta National
15 people who ended up in the Masters penalty box
The most memorable Rules issues in Masters history
In search of the greatest Augusta National
The Masters’ other jackets: Why working tournament week has its perks
The greatest Masters round time has forgotten
The Champions Dinner Tell-All, from those inside the room
Tee times for Round 1 and Round 2
