Shipley's 'whirlwind' Masters built on West Penn foundation
By Josh Rowntree, Director of Communications • April 16, 2024
Neal Shipley stepped to the first tee at Augusta National Thursday morning. The strong Georgia winds gusted, continuing the development of the tears already welling in his eyes, as the Mt. Lebanon native drove his tee in the ground on the first teeing area.
His opening swing sailed 301 yards right, landing among the Chinese Fir trees lining the opening fairway.
A punch out into a green-side bunker was followed by an impressive save for par. And, that quickly, the wildest weekend of the amateur’s life was underway.
“I was more emotional than anything else,” says Shipley of the opening hole. “I had some tears going a little bit. It wasn’t like I was crazy nervous or shaking. I was more just emotional and grateful for the opportunity. I just tried to make the best swing I could.”
What unfolded next was something most young golfers can only dream. A made cut at the world’s most prestigious golf tournament. A Sunday pairing with the game’s most polarizing and once-dominant figure. An Instagram account that gained 13,000 followers in a weekend and a phone that hasn’t stopped trying to draw his attention since the final putt dropped into the cup on the 18th hole Sunday.
And Shipley’s journey to Augusta is one that starts, of course, in Western Pennsylvania.
A Central Catholic grad, Shipley went to James Madison University, receiving a degree in quantitative finance. He transferred to Ohio State in 2022, earning his way into the Buckeyes’ starting lineup.
On the junior and amateur side, Shipley has had some success locally and beyond. He won the 2019 WPGA Junior Championship, the 2021 WPGA Spring Stroke Play Championship, the 2021 Fred Brand Foursomes Championship and claimed the 119th WPGA Open Championship at the regional level.
“It was absolutely key,” he says of having such strong local events. “Jack Nicklaus said it best. Before the amateur ranks, you have to beat the guys locally all the time. Then you beat the guys in the state all the time. Then, can you beat all of the amateurs in the country all of the time? That’s when you’re ready to go on Tour.
“It’s really important to go out and win. And I think that’s what the West Penn Golf Association did for me. The events (the WPGA) runs and the quality of courses, with the fast greens and great setups, really preps kids to go out and be successful.”
All of those events growing up, coupled with his runner-up finish at the U.S. Amateur last August, helped lead to that first round at Augusta, where Shipley fired off a remarkable 1-under 71, putting himself into contention with golf’s elites.
“It was definitely a bit of a prove-it-to-myself moment,” he says. “I always thought that I could go out there, play well and compete. I putted so well in the first round and did some good things. I managed myself around the golf course. It set the tone for the week. After that first round, we were like, ‘hey, we’re in this tournament.’
Friday’s round wasn’t as kind, as Shipley fired off a 76, putting him in a spot where he flirted with the cut line. But as the winds continued to howl, even the professionals slipped, and the cut line dropped to a point where Shipley knew he’d make the weekend.
“Coming off 18 at 3-over, I was a little nervous about it,” he says. "They had a little area where you can see where you’re at, and I went from a little nervous, thinking I stumbled my way through that back nine Friday, to pretty excited that I might make the weekend.
“I’ve never been more happy sitting in the house, watching golf, watching the wind blow and seeing the cut line continue to move in favor of me.”
On Saturday, Shipley was paired with eight-time PGA Tour winner Patrick Cantlay and shot an 80. It was his worst round of the weekend, but one that set up the most notable pairing of his young life on Sunday.
“I didn’t think I was actually going to get paired with Tiger (Woods),” says Shipley, who used former Central Catholic teammate Carter Pitcairn as his caddie — something he noted was an ‘unbelievable experience' in its own right.
“I saw that (Woods) was struggling, but I knew it was kind of a long shot. I got to the putting green and Carter came over to me and was like, ‘Guess who you’re getting paired with tomorrow?’
“And I was like, ‘No way, is it actually Tiger?’
And he goes, “Oh yeah, it’s the big cat.’”
Shipley was about to play a round with Woods, a 15-time major tournament winner with five victories in Augusta — the first coming when he was two years younger than Shipley is currently.
“I was most nervous about him showing up,” he says. “He had nothing to prove and, with his body, I thought he might not play. It was great when I saw him at the practice facility Sunday morning. That’s when it hit me that this was actually going to happen.”
Buzz, of course, began to grow rapidly around Shipley. The pair was the broadcast's featured group of the morning. The eyes of thousands at Augusta, and far more around the world, fell on the kid from Western Pennsylvania.
“It definitely gave me something extra to do, to try to beat him on Sunday. That would be pretty cool and something to tell the grandkids about. It was definitely a goal."
Stories of Woods’ competitive nature are legendary. There have past partners who have said that he speaks very little during the round, with his winning focus so intense. But that wasn’t the case for Shipley.
“Tiger was so gracious,” he says. “He talked to me throughout most of the round. That was really cool, to walk the fairways with him. It felt like a casual Sunday round, but with Tiger. We were chatting it up and playing some golf.”
The two connected over mutual acquaintances such as Western Pennsylvania amateur Sean Knapp, as well Oakmont Country Club, where Woods famously battled champion Angel Cabrera at the 2007 U.S. Open.
“That was cool,” says Shipley. “He remarked that he liked (Oakmont) before they took out the trees. I joked with him that I’m too young to remember the trees.
“But we also talked about his hometown, where he grew up playing golf. We talked about his college days, (Woods’ son) Charlie and where his game is. He’s a dad, he loves his kids. He has a bunch of interests outside of golf, but he’s definitely a golf nut.”
Shipley ended up accomplishing his Sunday goal. He outscored Woods in the final round at The Masters and did it by four strokes with a mark of 73.
As crazy of a weekend it was, it got even wilder post-round. Shipley, the 23-year-old, was the tournament’s low-am finisher — something that was decided Friday when he was the only amateur to make the cut.
He received the honor of sitting in Butler Cabin with 2023 winner Jon Rahm and new champion Scottie Scheffler during the green jacket ceremony. He was interviewed by Jim Nance and was even turned into a well-circulated meme.
As he returned to Columbus, Ohio on Monday, the 23-year-old was barraged with media requests, both nationally and locally. His Instagram account went from around 5,000 followers to around 18,000. All while he’s practicing for an upcoming collegiate tournament hosted by Ohio State this weekend.
“It’s been pretty nuts, quite the whirlwind,” he says. “I didn’t know all of this stuff would be happening. I’d get the usual interviews about it. But one of the best blessings I’ve been given was to play with Tiger Sunday. That got me a lot of attention. I’m grateful for him. He helped me out, because he really moves the needle.”
But moving the needle is exactly what Shipley has done himself, particularly in Western Pennsylvania.
With the Penguins battling for the playoffs, the Steelers preparing for the NFL Draft and the Pirates off to a hot start, it was the Mt. Lebanon kid dominating the local sports headlines for a week.
That will undeniably reverberate and will inspire kids, many of which hope to do what Shipley just did — and many of whom Shipley was just like not all that long ago.
“After the U.S. Amateur, I was at an Ohio State hockey game, and a kid walked down from a few rows above me and said, ‘hi, Mr. Shipley, I just wanted to say congratulations on the U.S. Amateur,’” Shipley recalls. “That means the world to me. Something that’s so special about golf is the ability to grow the game and get others into it.
“The accolades are really, really good. But the thing that’s most important and the mark of a very successful golf career is the mark you leave on the next generation of golfers.”
For media inquiries, please contact WPGA Director of Communications Josh Rowntree.
About the WPGA
Founded in 1899, the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association is the steward of amateur golf in the region. Started by five Member Clubs, the association now has 200 Member Clubs and nearly 37,000 members. The WPGA conducts 14 individual competitions and 10 team events, and administers the WPGA Scholarship Fund and Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame.