He became an Augusta National meme. Here’s what that was like

Neal Shipley was nothing short of spectacular at the 2024 Masters.

The super senior from Ohio State gained entry into the field courtesy of his runner-up finish at last year’s U.S. Amateur, and he made the most of his opportunity. As the lone amateur to make the cut, Shipley posted rounds of 71-76-80-73, finishing T53 and wrapping up his week sitting alongside Scottie Scheffler in Butler Cabin. Oh yeah, and he played alongside Tiger Woods on Sunday — and beat him by four strokes.

“I think I have to win one of these things to kind of top this week,” Shipley said. “Definitely been a dream week.”

Coming into Augusta, no one except the true golf diehards knew who Shipley was. A few days later, he was one of the biggest feel-good storylines of the week.

“It’s been a little crazy,” Shipley said on this week’s episode of GOLF’s Subpar.

Some of Shipley’s fame can be attributed to a meme that popped up on Twitter in the wake of his Butler Cabin appearance. While sitting next to Scheffler, Rahm and Ridley, Shipley kept looking to a teleprompter off screen. When the internet snapped a pic of him at just the right time, Shipley was meme’ified.

“My brother comes up and he’s like laughing at me,” Shipley said. “He’s like, ‘Look at this meme that Paige Spiranac just posted [of you].’ I’m like, ‘What?’ … I saw the picture and was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m such an idiot.'”

As Shipley further explained on the the Pat McAfee Show: “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 so I was trying to look at the teleprompter to know what was going on so I knew my cues. Dumbass.

“We go back to our party house, I’ve had a few IC Lights, and all the sudden my family is like ‘Have you seen these memes of you’ and start absolutely roasting me for the next three hours.”

For much more from Shipley’s appearance on GOLF’s Subpar, check out the entire episode below.

Zephyr Melton

Golf.com Editor

Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Prior to joining the team at GOLF, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all things instruction and covers amateur and women’s golf. He can be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.

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