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Amateur golfer Neal Shipley certainly found himself amidst a memorable Masters tournament after not only making the cut for the Major but also getting paired up with legend Tiger Woods for his final round.
A double bogey late on the third day of the Masters meant that Shipley would get a pairing that some other golfers could only dream of. Standing and playing beside Tiger Woods was an unforgettable experience for Shipley.
However, Shipley could also tell that Tiger Woods was not used to playing tournaments, which brings about a mental battle for many golfers. Woods has not been frequenting any tournaments, and the Masters was the first tournament of the 2024 season that he completed.
"One thing that for me I noticed was he was leaving a lot of putts short and didn't make that adjustment. I feel like that could be mental or maybe just not having played a lot of tournaments and having to adjust on the fly like that is a little harder when you're not as acclimated at playing tournaments," Shipley said on the Fore Play podcast. [1:31:52]
Shipley said that Woods definitely made the most of what he had on the day, but also occasionally struggled to hit the driver.
Neal Shipley confident that Tiger Woods can win a golf tournament
Woods' skills did not disappoint, as Neal Shipley expressed the awe he felt for his long game. Talking about his experience on the Fore Play podcast, Shipley said:
"His iron play is definitely still there. I mean that's really strong all day, especially the long irons. I mean it's just really solid. Definitely up to the level of the other Tour guys I played with. Short game's definitely still there too, he still has great touch around the greens." [1:31:12]
Despite being a bit rusty, Shipley still believes that Tiger Woods has the ability to win a golf tournament if he has a good week.
"But the game's still there. And I think if he has a really hot week and a week where his body holds up, he's still definitely capable of winning these golf tournaments."
After the Masters, Woods has not been a part of any tournament so far. The 15-time Major champion said he would be teeing it up for the next Major of the year, the PGA Championship.
