Neal Shipley is a name that many golf enthusiasts will start to remember, and those on the internet appreciate any time a public figure makes a major mistake while on TV. Shipley earned the chance to play at The Masters after coming in second to Nick Dunlap at the US Amateur Championship in August of 2023.
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Shipley not only won low (best finishing) amateur at the 88th Masters Tournament by shooting a closing 1 over par 73, but he got to finish up playing next to Tiger Woods, who shot 6 over. For an amateur to play alongside the biggest golf star in the world would be enough to make anyone nervous, but Shipley did not have the most experience with TV and teleprompters after the tournament concluded.
Shipley revealed on the Foreplay Pod that while he was being interviewed by legendary sports commentator Jim Nantz, Nantz went a bit off script during their interview. The young golfer wanted to make sure he was not going to make any mistakes, but the result was his focus on the teleprompter too much and missing Nantz’s question.
Shipley states:
Jim Nantz right before we started said, ‘Oh, by the way I am going to say something to you about this,’ and I was like ‘Wait, wait wait, I didn’t catch that. What did you say you were going to tell me?’ I was like so frickin nervous. I just didn’t want to speak out of turn or say something when I wasn’t supposed to. So I was looking at a teleprompter, waiting for when they were going to ask me the question. Kind of cue me in, and then I completely side stepped Jim Nantz’s question completely.
Shipley was on the biggest stage in the golf world, played alongside Woods, and was being interviewed after being the low amateur for the entire tournament. It is to be presumed he has not had the time to be properly introduced on how to interact with interviews on live television.
That’s also not to mention that he was being interviewed by Nantz in the first place, who’s a person who demands a ton of respect. Shipley was just attempting to focus on the cue he needed to answer his interview questions but got lost in the moment.
Naturally, his ultra-focused stare began to be immediately turned into memes, which he and his family laughed about for a long time. The good news is Shipley winning the low amateur recognition at The Masters has resulted in an invitation to the US Open this June at Pinehurst. By that time, we hope Shipley gets some formal training on being on live television.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.