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USC junior Bailey Shoemaker is one of the best women’s amateur golfers on the planet. The Florida native was the 14th-ranked girls junior golfer in the country according to Golfweek before committing to the Trojans, and she has a bevvy of accolades to back that up.
But Shoemaker is coming under scrutiny at this week’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur after video of her extensive preshot routine, which lasted over a minute, hit social media.
“This is part of her routine”
I would have already been on the green waiting before she pulled the trigger. pic.twitter.com/U7txlQZQRP— themechanic (@mensgrill69) April 1, 2026
The video shows Shoemaker at the par-3 eighth during Wednesday’s opening round, which she finished with a 1-over score of 73. In the video, the USC star takes her club back several times and stands over the ball for 1 minute and 12 seconds before finally making a full swing.
“I would have already been on the green waiting before she pulled the trigger,” the X user who posted the video claimed. And that was on the milder side of things.
“Wait this isn’t an April Fools joke just on loop?? This is real?” asked @BrianSuttererMD, who has nearly 63,000 followers.
“My eye started twitching and almost got a migraine watching this. That is one minute and one second of absolutely the most ridiculous sh– I’ve ever seen in my life,” another user wrote.
Dozens and dozens of similar posts slamming Shoemaker quickly came streaming in.
And yes, when I first watched the video, I had a similar reaction. However, oftentimes in life, it’s smart to step away and see if there is added context required before reacting to something. That is the case here, as it turns out.
Bailey Shoemaker’s Pre-Shot Routine At Augusta Isn’t Typical For Her
Slow play, particularly due to players taking forever before hitting shots, is an epidemic in the golf world. And it can it can undeniably be frustrating to watch, let alone play alongside a player who is taking an eternity to hit the ball.
But in the case of Shoemaker, this isn’t the norm.
As Golf Channel’s Brantley Romine reports, USC coach Justin Silverstein actually stated that Shoemaker is “one of the fastest players” he has ever coached.
If that’s the case, what’s the deal here?
As it turns out, Shoemaker had major arm surgery last October after playing through “excruciating pain” for seven months. While she’s 100 percent physically now, Shoemaker says she trying to convince her brain that there won’t be pain when she swings.
“(I’m) Just trying to reassure myself that there isn’t pain anymore,” Shoemaker explained. “I’ve been struggling with it for the last four months, just being fully committed to hitting the ball.”
Now, look, if you want to be critical, you can argue that if Shoemaker can’t fully commit to every shot without taking that long, then she shouldn’t be playing in an event of this caliber.
But Shoemaker, who shot a record 66 two years ago at Augusta National as the runner-up at the same event, wasn’t warned for slow play. And her game isn’t far over. After the opening round, she sits in a tie for 41st. Obviously, that’s not where she’d like to be, but it’s in the middle of the pack of the 72-woman field.
So yes, the agonizingly long pre-shot routine can be tough to watch. But imagine how tough it is to live through? Especially for someone who, when at their best, is one of the best women’s amateur golfers on the planet.