If there’s one thing every golf fan hates, it’s slow play.  Quite naturally, when Bailey Shoemaker’s one-minute, 12-second-long pre-shot routine at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur was aired on Golf Channel, critics were ready with their pitchforks. But turns out, the detractors jumped to conclusions too soon without knowing the full story

Golf.com’s Claire Rogers shared a video of Shoemaker on X, in which the golfer said, “Been battling injury for over a year now, and so I got some things bugging me. But when you have nerve surgery, you aren’t in control. Like, it doesn’t matter what my brain says or does. Regardless of what my brain says, like, my body’s doing things that, of course, I don’t want to.”

Before her surgery, the USC golfer used to spend a couple of hours a day at the physiotherapy center throughout the entire summer of 2025. But she still felt excruciating pain even while sitting in her classes and sleeping at night. That led her to switch her doctors, and she was later diagnosed with cubital tunnel syndrome.

It’s a condition in which the ulnar nerve gets compressed right below the elbow. As a result, her fingers used to come off the club on top of the backswing. In October 2025, she underwent surgery to fix the issues. It took her about six weeks to recover and swing again. The pain is now gone, but the confidence isn’t back.

Even now, when Shoemaker goes to the top of her swing, she needs to tell herself that there is no pain. That her pinky finger won’t come off the club. Shoemaker spends about five hours a day working out. She visits the rehabilitation center before practice to avoid any further injuries. But that’s something that the fans didn’t see when they called her out for her slow play at ANWA.

“I mean, everyone has got something to say, and everyone thinks they know everything. … I was the fastest player in college golf back in the day before this injury,” a frustrated Shoemaker said.

She thanked her coaches and trainers for getting her where she is today. After all, she had a different scare a few months back. 

“A year ago, I didn’t know if I’d be playing golf anymore. This was pretty substantial one, given it was my nerve. And I’m happy to have motor function over my hand. I thought I was going to lose my hand.”

But instead of dwelling on the injury and quitting golf, her father pushed her to use that experience as fuel for her next tournaments. Right now, she’s simply happy to be recovering from that gruesome phase and making progress in her health. And that’s what she cares about, not the heckling or online scrutiny. 

She said, “Can you imagine anyone being here in my shoes? I mean, good for them if they are, but I’m just gonna keep doing my thing. I’m playing Augusta National tomorrow, so.” 

Unfortunately, she missed the cut after hitting her second consecutive round of 73 to finish two over par. But it’s worth noting that she’s the one who finished runner-up in 2024 ANWA with a score of 66 in the third round. 

Bailey Shoemaker’s Coach Addresses Slow Play at Augusta National

Shoemaker’s head coach, Justin Silverstein, noticed in January that the 21-year-old was taking far too long to hit her shots. It’s quite common to experience the yips after undergoing a complex surgery. Upon consultation with his fellow staff, the head coach concluded that Shoemaker’s yips were getting better, and she needed to play at Augusta National. But things worsened in Georgia. 

Shoemaker’s slow play went viral and made her pretty upset. She even called Silverstein to get certain stuff taken down from the internet. Reflecting on that, Silverstein had something to say.

“You can’t run and hide in the sport. You can’t pass the ball. You’ve got to face the music, and that’s what she’s done this week, and I think she’ll be better for it. People are upset, it’s fine. Whatever. We know the truth.”

Now, as the conversation around her performance expands beyond the scorecards, Bailey Shoemaker remains focused on getting better and faster. But how long will it take for her yips to completely disappear? Well, that remains to be seen.