"I'm just an average Joe": Neal Shipley pokes fun at himself after showing off his college apartment on Netflix's 'Full Swing'

Neal Shipley has been the star of Netflix's Full Swing docuseries so far. The former amateur star turned Korn Ferry Tour player has been working towards greatness in golf, but he understands that he has humble beginnings.

In the third season, which dropped on Netflix on February 25, viewers at home got the chance to see how Shipley, one of the bright young stars in the game of golf, lives off the course.

He poked fun at himself in the process, saying:

"I'm a fifth year senior at the Ohio State University. I live in a college apartment with five of my teammates. I get jokes about all the time on the team. They give me a lot of crap. I'm just an average Joe who happens to play golf a little better than the average guy."

Shipley was being humble because he won the Low Amateur at the 2024 Masters Tournament. He shot better than every other amateur in the field and even outdid players like Tony Finau, Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods.

Neal Shipley with Tiger Woods (Image via Imagn)

As for Tiger Woods, Shipley addressed him in the first episode of the season, detailing an encounter decades ago that has stuck with Shipley through his journey to golf stardom.

He said:

"I was six years old when I first watched Tiger Woods play at the US Open in 2007. My dad was carrying me on his shoulders, and from me to the camera (during the documentary shoot) that's the distance between me and Tiger. I'm a little kid and put my hand out to try and give him a high five, and he was so focused that he just zooms right by me."

He said Woods was "the guy" and someone he always rooted for no matter what. Now, he can say he competed against him in a grouping in a Major tournament.

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Neal Shipley discusses Tiger Woods pairing on Full Swing

Neal Shipley got paired with Tiger Woods at the Masters last year. After withdrawing from the Genesis Invitational early on, this would be Woods' first full round of golf that year, and Shipley got to play his right beside someone he grew up idolizing.

Shipley said he and Woods were focused on playing good golf, but his concentration was briefly broken when Woods paid him a high compliment. He said he "laced" his tee shot and that Woods said it was a "good shot" and added:

"Tiger just said, 'Hey, nice shot.' Like that's, that's really cool."

Woods and Neal Shipley both made the cut and played all four rounds, but Shipley outperformed the legendary golfer. He shot 12 over par and Woods shot 16 over par.