There were some stunning moments at The Masters, from Bryson DeChambeau’s hole-out birdie to keep his dreams of the title alive to Scottie Scheffler’s dominant performance over the back nine on Sunday to claim the title for the second time in three years.
Among some of the top-quality action on the course, though, some other moments really got social media talking. Here are six of the incidents that went viral at the Augusta National Major.
Greg Norman Appears At Augusta National
The main action hadn’t even got underway when one of the game’s most controversial figures of recent years, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman, appeared on Wednesday during the Par 3 Contest, and was seen mingling with patrons and players including PGA Tour pro Min Woo Lee.
He also attended during the tournament, but how did he get in? Did he receive an invite after saying he was “disappointed” that he hadn’t been asked to attend the year before?
Apparently not, according to the Australian’s son Greg Norman Jr, who explained on X that his father had acquired a ticket on the secondary market.
Regardless, Norman seemed to have a great time and, in an Instagram message, thanked “hundreds if not thousands" of patrons for their “unanimous support.”
Jason Day’s Malbon Outfits
Norman wasn’t the only Australian causing a stir at The Masters. Jason Day also got people talking, this time because of his choice of outfits.
First, it was Day’s Malbon pants that gave social media a field day. Their bagginess led to comments, including one that from social media personality Amanda Rose, who wrote, “Jason Day holds a unique distinction of being the only man in the field at The Masters who could jump out of the plane today and land safely.”
Jason Day holds the unique distinction of being the only man in the field at The Masters who could jump out of a plane today and land safelyApril 11, 2024
Undeterred, during his second round, Day was seen wearing a striking Malbon “Championship” vest. That was all too much for the Augusta National traditionalists, though, and Day later confirmed he had been asked to take it off.
Bryson DeChambeau Carries A Direction Sign Away
DeChambeau was going along nicely during his second round until he found the trees off his tee shot on the 13th. Rather than find a gap to direct his ball towards the fairway, The Scientist found another route… with just one issue: a direction sign stood in his path.
No problem - DeChambeau simply lifted it out of the ground and carried it away. However, a rules official scuppered any hopes of the LIV Golf player completing his shot as intended, and the sign had to be put back.
Afterwards, DeChambeau, who birdied the hole anyway, said: “I was looking at an opportunity to hit it back into the 13th fairway and look, it would have only led me 200 - a hundred yards in probably, something like that, and I knew I could hit one around the corner down 14 fairway and have 140 to 150-yard shot in.”
It wasn't the only "Bryson being Bryson" moment on Friday, either. He was also spotted swaying wildly on the third fairway, which was his extravagant way of getting the group ahead to move out of his way!
God I’ve missed watching Bryson be a goober😂 pic.twitter.com/QuBl7jGJ72April 12, 2024
Tiger Woods Shakes Hands With A ‘Tree’
The final round was not without emotion, particularly as we saw Tiger Woods in his famous Sunday red at Augusta National for the first time in two years. That was heightened by a touching moment when the 15-time Major winner spotted the retiring CBS Sports legend Verne Lundquist to the right of the 16th green and strode over to shake his hand.
It was a real lump-in-the-throat moment, but the mood was soon lightened when an angle of the exchange found its way onto social media showing just Lunquist’s arm emerging from behind a tree to greet Woods. That led to some hilarious reactions online and was quickly declared "one of the internet's most memeable images."
Collin Morikawa’s Tee Flip
There may have been arguably golf’s most prestigious title on the line, not to mention millions of dollars in prize money, but that didn’t deter Collin Morikawa from carrying out a simple tee flip to determine who should go first on the 13th between him and Scottie Scheffler.
It didn’t work in Morikawa’s favor, as he lamented in a hilariously self-deprecating X post after Scheffler closed out the victory. Morikawa wrote: “A few things I’ve learned from this week. 1. Don’t hit it in the water on 11, duh. 2. Get better at tee flips so I’m always going second.”
A few things I’ve learned from this week.1. Don’t hit it in the water on 11, duh2. Get better at tee flips so I’m always going secondApril 15, 2024
What Did Neal Shipley See At Butler Cabin?
Neal Shipley had a day to remember on Sunday. The low amateur not only got to play alongside Tiger Woods in a dream pairing in the final round, but he also witnessed a piece of history in the making at Butler Cabin afterwards, where outgoing champion Jon Rahm handed Scheffler the Green Jacket.
Like the rest of the day, he hadn’t been overawed by the experience, either, and he spoke well about his day in the presence of living legend Woods. “Very special,” began Shipley. “It's a day I'm going to cherish forever. He was great to me out there, and to have all the patrons out there rooting both of us on was phenomenal.”
Shipley may have held his composure on a day when many others would have crumbled, but something seemed to be spooking him at Butler Cabin as he made a series of totally unexpected sideways glances at something off-camera.
Neal Shipley is gonna be in Butler Cabin one day wearing his own green jacket. What an impressive guy. With a very bright future. pic.twitter.com/8Gu3P4hAk1April 14, 2024
But what had he seen? A ghost? Or was it a signal? “Blink twice if you need help,” wrote one fan on X, while others joked he was being held at gunpoint!
He was most likely waiting for his cues to speak from the teleprompter, but regardless, those puzzling side glances created an instant meme.
