By Bob Verdi
Photo By Charles Laberge
April 25, 2008
Boo Weekley freely admits he once presumed that, if he were going to make a living with his hands, it would probably have something to do with a shovel. We know he can maneuver a rake, because there he was, smoothing out a bunker last Friday, just to keep things moving. Writing that column during the Masters was OK, but he'll defer to mother Patsy's efforts in a local paper throughout the Verizon Heritage. Said Boo of her distinct advantage, "She can spell."
What this good ol' boy can do is golf his ball and collect tartan jackets. Weekley's now got two for the darkest corner of his mobile-home closet after another excellent adventure at the Harbour Town GL, where he repeated as tournament champion by ambling to a three-shot victory Sunday over Anthony Kim and 2006 winner Aaron Baddeley. Boo signed for an even-par 71, his highest score ever on this timeless parcel of real estate at one of the PGA Tour's most anticipated stops, and yet he wasn't really pressured much in his debut as a 54-hole leader. He made a few mistakes, the most glaring being when he readied to hit first on No. 18 although it was Kim's turn. But that's still not as dangerous as 'rassling an orangutan.
For all Boo's drawling antics -- "I kind of act like a cartoon character" -- he strikes it pure and low, a perfect antidote for these tiny greens surrounded by tall trees that disguise nimble breezes. That makes Weekley somewhat windproof. Add a few strategic putts to a penchant for chip-ins (No. 10 Sunday for birdie, Nos. 17 and 18 a year ago to nudge Ernie Els) and you have yourself, as he says, one happy redneck. Boo's problem might be career planning. He's no fool when it comes to investing, according to his hunting buddies from the Florida Panhandle. Plus, he would rather fish than fly, so he's set a goal of $8 million. When Boo gets there, Boo promises he'll be gone, and Boo is getting there quickly, although he and Kim were put on the clock during the back nine.
Weekley called that "aggravating." But then, he termed his entire round "ugly" and so nervewracking that he perspired through four gloves. Borrowing from Tigerspeak, sort of, Boo said he brought it home with his C or D game. However, he went on, "It goes to show, I kind of proved to myself, you ain't always got to have your A game to win. I had the rights all day. I had them all week with the driver and a little bit with the irons. On the practice ground this morning, I had the pulls. This golf is a crazy game. That's why I only want to do it for so long and get out of it."
Weekley began his afternoon clutching a three-shot advantage over Kim, saved par with a 15-footer on No. 1, then widened his margin to five at No. 2 with a birdie while Kim bogeyed. Weekley's cushion over Kim was reduced to three again at No. 8, but Kim doubled the short par-4 ninth. While others of age 22 might have wilted, Kim belied his inexperience with three consecutive birdies on the back to shoot 71 against Baddeley's 69. Apparently, Kim's film study of Tiger Woods with head frozen over putts was instructive.
Still, Weekley executed just effectively enough to thrill the thousands of Boo-birds in the gallery. With his closing aggregate of 15-under 269, Weekley became the third player to win at Harbour Town in consecutive years. Davis Love III, who has five jackets, was the champion in 1991 and '92. Payne Stewart prevailed in 1989 and doubled his pleasure in 1990. Last year, Boo's coronation was delayed by high winds until a Monday finish before a slim gathering. Last Sunday, around happy hour, the stands were packed. That's more like it.
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