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IN MY OPINION
3 cheers for Boo
Weekley, not your typical golf personality, brings color to course
SCOTT FOWLER
The world could use more Boo Weekleys.
Amid a sea of golfers who mostly look and sound the same, Weekley stands out like a glass of sweet tea at a wine-tasting.
He is John Daly without the baggage. Daly's self-destructive charm has a certain car-crash appeal, but Weekley lives a less complicated life. He doesn't make you feel guilty for liking him like Daly can.
It helps that Thomas Brent Weekley goes by such an unusual sobriquet. Fans cheer him by booing. The "Boo" nickname, bestowed by his father long ago, refers to Yogi Bear's cartoon sidekick Boo Boo.
Weekley shot even-par 72 in the first round of the Wachovia Championship Thursday, putting him five strokes off the lead. He was 2 under par after 12 holes, but then bogeyed three of the last six.
"I got tired, man," Weekley said. "I haven't been sleepin' good since I've been here. I keep waking up at 2 or 3 a.m. and not gettin' back to sleep. I reckon I'm gonna have to start going to bed at 7."
If you liked "Caddyshack" because the guys in pastel sweaters all got their comeuppance, Boo is your man. As long as you can take him spitting a whole lot and you don't mind his questionable grammar, he's a hoot.
I love the guy. If your favorite sport has a Boo Weekley, cheer daily. He reminds me of the way stock-car drivers used to sound before they started being issued from a cookie cutter.
Here's a sampling of Weekley from his news conference Tuesday in Charlotte.
• On driving a race car for fun at Lowe's Motor Speedway Tuesday: "I went and drove them NASCARs, them speed cars over there at the motor speedway here in Charlotte. It was awesome. If you ain't ever done it, you need to try."
• On if driving a race car might help someone's golf game: "It might help. I think some of the guys need to go out there that are the slower players. Maybe they'd learn to speed up a little bit."
• On why he interacts with fans so much: "A lot of the players out here they take it for granted, I think, some of them do. But the fans is what pays the bills. You ought to just smile, wave, whether you don't want to or not. But for me it's fun because I like to go and talk to people."
• On the two tartan sports coats he owns after winning the Verizon Heritage in Hilton Head in 2007 and '08: "We're working on getting like Davis Love (who has won the tournament in Hilton Head five times). If you get about five of them, you could make one helluva curtain or a tablecloth."
With his paunch, his balding head, his "good ol' boy" charm and his love for Dale Earnhardt Jr., Weekley comes off like a guy who would demand "Freebird" at every concert. But don't think he's a caricature -- he works on his golf game constantly.
After Thursday's round, Weekley putted for 45 minutes, signed autographs for 20 more, then headed for the driving range. "I always try to practice afterward, no matter how I play," he said.
Weekley grew up in Milton, Fla., (pop. 8,000) and -- of course -- loves to hunt and fish. He and his wife Karyn have a young son and are expecting their second child in late June. Weekley has said he'd like to play for about 10 more years and then retire because he misses his family too much on the road.
Said Weekley: "I'd much rather be home with them. Sitting down and having a pecan pie with them or something, you know?"
The crowds Weekley draws are similar to those Daly draws in terms of their Everyman quality. But they aren't as raucous or as big.
Let him win a few more times, though. Let him get his first major. Then the Boo birds will come out in force.
Because if Weekley can raise his game one notch to match that magnetic personality, he's a national crossover star waiting to happen.
IN MY OPINION Scott Fowler
Scott Fowler: 704-358-5140; sfowler@charlotteobserver.com.
