Bailey Shoemaker has hit back at critics following a video of her pre-shot routine and swing going viral on social media.
Shoemaker, a junior at the University of South Carolina, took over 76 seconds to play a shot and the clip quickly spread around the internet.
“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
“I’ve been battling injury for over a year now, and so, I mean, I’ve got some things bugging me,” she told golf.com.
“But, I mean, when you have nerve surgery, you aren’t in control.
“Like, it doesn’t matter what my brain says or does — you think I want to do it intentionally? Of course not.”
She continued: “It was better today. And, I mean, that was the worst one yesterday, of course it went viral.
“And I mean, you clearly don’t see the rest of the round. You don’t see me at home working out five hours a day, going to rehab, waking up before practice to go to rehab. You don’t see what’s behind the scenes.”
“I put a lot of faith in USC and my coaches and trainers and whatnot, and I mean, they got me to here, where I am today,” Shoemaker added.
“I know I keep saying it, and I sound like a broken record, but like a year ago, I didn’t know if I’d be playing golf anymore. This was like, a pretty substantial injury, given it was my nerve. And I’m happy to have motor function over my hand.
“I thought I was going to like, lose my hand, basically, you know. So that’s pretty scary to think about. So, I mean, to have control over my body is nice, for once. And just being out here playing is good.”
As for the unwanted attention, she said: “If anything it was fuel. I mean, my dad has trained me right, to use that as fuel to ignite me a little bit. But I didn’t put too much mind to it. I mean, I’m happy where I am, and I’m making leaps and bounds in my health, and that’s all I really care about.”
Article Link: Slow play golfer hits back after viral video