PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Mt. Lebanon’s Neal Shipley had some great memories from playing in the 2024 Masters. Come on, being paired with Tiger Woods is as good as it gets, but there is a bigger takeaway as Shipley told The Fan Morning Show Tuesday.
“I think I showed through the first few days of the tournament that my good golf is more than good enough to compete on Tour,” Shipley told Adam Crowley and Dorin Dickerson on 93.7 The Fan.
OK, let’s go.
He admits he had improvements to make. He has work to do on his game, but if last weekend showed anything, Shipley believes he can hang with the best. The field at the Masters is the best of the best from both tours.
Shipley didn’t say when he would turn pro, but the Ohio State graduate student is ready to get out there. The toughest part is getting started and earning his PGA Tour card.
Finishing as the low amateur at the first major of the year, Shipley has no regrets during his four rounds at Augusta National. He said he committed to every shot and left everything out there.
Tiger pairing
About an hour or so after his round ended on Saturday he first heard he would be paired with Tiger Woods on a Sunday at the Masters. The player who transformed the game winning 15 majors including five Green Jackets. Shipley said it really hit after he saw the official pairings released Saturday night.
“I was super-pumped,” Shipley told The Fan Morning Show. “I got a little nervous that he might not, he hadn’t played well the day before and with his body, I was a little nervous that (Woods) wouldn’t show up on Sunday.”
“I saw him there on the range Sunday morning and I got really excited and thought there is no way this is actually happening.”
He first saw Woods during the first practice day on Monday, but didn’t want to bother him. Shipley told Adam and Dorin he introduced himself on the range Sunday morning and really wasn’t sure what to expect. He said maybe the greatest golfer of all-time couldn’t be more gracious.
“We were walking down number two and he was more than willing to hold a conversation with me down the whole fairway which was awesome,” Shipley told Adam Crowley and Dorin Dickerson on 93.7 The Fan. “You don’t see that with every guy out there. To have Tiger Woods giving you stories about his days in college, was awesome.”
Among the discussions were obviously golf, but also connections with Pittsburgh. Woods remembered playing with one of the most accomplished amateurs in local history, Oakmont’s Sean Knapp, in the 1995 US Amateur.
Shipley said Woods is a ‘golf nut’. He knows everything about the game and he listed to him dissect world number one, and 2024 Masters champ, Scottie Scheffler’s swing and his unique footwork. The 23-year-old was just soaking up the stories, information, knowledge.
“I found myself, I really wanted him to hole out a shot or chip in or do something crazy so the whole crowd would go wild,” Shipley said of his four hours walking Augusta National with Tiger Woods. “With how many people are around, it gets loud when anything good happens.”
One of Shipley’s heroes is another golf legend, Latrobe’s Arnold Palmer. He said he’s a huge Steelers fan, his father has season tickets. He loves all the local sports, along with perogies.
Shipley had some doubts about his game during his undergraduate career at James Madison University, but his confidence grew with his success at Ohio State. You could imagine where it is now after not only playing with Woods, but beating him by four shots.
His next opportunity comes in June at the US Open at Pinehurst Couse Number 2. Who is to say he won’t do even better.