During his Sunday press conference after finishing low amateur at the Masters earlier this month, Ohio State’s Neal Shipley was asked why he became such a fan favorite during last summer’s U.S. Amateur, where he finished runner-up, as well as on the weekend at Augusta National, when he played alongside Tiger Woods. His answer was simply perfect.
“I’m just a normal lookin’ dude with long hair,” Shipley said. “I don’t really look like most golfers, I think. I just have a great attitude on the golf course, I kind of show my emotions. I think that’s kind of why people like me.”
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All true. Regular golf fans—the ones who don’t spend every waking minute complaining on social media—are an easy bunch to please. Give us a hefty-ish dude with hair down to his shoulders who shows his emotions on the course and we will instantly stan. Someone we can relate to, except when they are actually hitting the shots. It’s a simple formula.
Few things are more relatable to the average golfer than carrying your own bag, which is something that all college golfers, Shipley included, do on a regular basis in competition. It’s not a new image, but when you juxtapose it with the image of Shipley shaking hands with Tiger Woods on the 72nd green at Augusta National just a few weeks ago, it adds to his legend:
One day you’re playing the final round of @TheMasters with @TigerWoods, a few weeks later you’re schlepping your own bag in the Big Ten Championship. Still, good day for Neal Shipley who led Ohio State with 1-under 69 in high winds at Scioto CC Saturday. pic.twitter.com/KVDwOMm6Lz
— Dave Shedloski (@DaveShedloski) April 27, 2024
Great capture from our very own Dave Shedloski. Again, this is a very normal picture of a college golfer, but it’s jarring to see after he was fielding questions in the Masters interview room next to a green jacket not that long ago. Oh, and after he went viral numerous times that same day for simply looking at things.
As Dave mentioned, Shipley shot a 69 on a very windy day at Scioto Country Club in Round 2 of the Big Ten Championship last Saturday, which matched the low round of the day with Michigan State’s Ashton McCulloch. Shipley finished the 54-hole event with a final-round 74 to tie for fifth, helping his Buckeyes to a solo fifth team finish out of the 14 teams competing. Here’s hoping he keeps up the fine play for a long time, because this man is a content machine.
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
