Is Augusta ready for Weekley and his boys?

By Lynn DeBruin, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published April 8, 2008 at 9:42 p.m.

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Photo by Mason Levinson / Bloomberg News

Boo Weekley is not the type to be overwhelmed by the tradition of the Masters.

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OK, so he's heard of Rae's Creek.

And he probably knows enough not to let any snakes out of his bag this week.

But wax nostalgic about Augusta National?

Ha! Boo Weekley probably would just as soon give away all his camouflage clothing.

Asked by an Irish writer whether he sensed the famed course was a puzzle he had to unravel, the plain-spoken, tell-it-like-it-is Weekley shrugged it off.

"I just play it as it is. It's caveman golf. Hit it, find it and hit it again," he said.

That's as Boo as it gets.

Whether the Masters is ready for him remains to be seen.

At least the country kid from Milton, Fla., (population 8,118) isn't going solo in his inaugural trek around the old nursery.

Two other Milton High graduates - Bubba Watson and Heath Slocum - also are here for the first time as pros.

That's about as special as the coconut cream pie and fried chicken served up fresh at Miss Bass' diner in downtown Milton.

"The buzz around town is pretty loud," said J.J. Dunn, golf pro at Tanglewood Golf and Country Club, where the trio honed their skills in moving from the Florida Panhandle to the pros. "It's history-making as far as I'm concerned."

Watson, the youngest and longest hitter of the trio, couldn't argue. Contemplating the odds of three guys from the same small- town high school playing in their first Masters the same year, he thought about the tournament favorite.

"Probably worse odds than Tiger winning here this year," said Watson, 29.

The only safe bet is Milton might come to a standstill when the Masters begins Thursday.

"I don't know how to describe it. I mean, it's such an anomaly," Slocum said.

He might as well have been talking about his two buddies.

Slocum, 34, is the son of a golf pro, an introverted, studious guy who wears neat slacks and Calvin Klein logos on his polos.

Watson stands 7 inches taller, walks around with pink sticks and doesn't always talk so softly.

Then there's Weekley, whom his agent once described as a combination of Crocodile Dundee, Roy Hobbs (The Natural) and Roy McAvoy (Tin Cup).

Weekley readily admits he'd rather be a professional bass fisherman. And this is the same guy who almost missed the season-opening Mercedes Championship when airport workers found two bullets from his rifle in his carry-on luggage.

Sure, he had been hunting recently and forgot to clean out the bag. But, even Slocum admits, Weekley can be a bit wacky.

"His mind . . . it works funny," Slocum said.

Consider last weekend in Milton, where the three amigos (Watson didn't participate because he was playing the Houston Open) put on the Triple Pro Classic to raise money for youth golfers.

While Slocum saw the dead snake in the middle of the fairway, took a peek and moved on, Weekley saw the roadkill as an opportunity.

"He picks it up and he's already thinking ahead, 'I'm going to scare somebody with this,' " Slocum said.

And Weekley did, with Slocum retelling the story of how his father, Jack, was asked to reach into Weekley's bag to retrieve some new Pro V1s only to scale back his grab at the slithery feel.

"I would not have even thought to do that, but Boo did, so my dad got a little scared, vowed to get even, so there you go again. He sees the world a little differently," Slocum said.

The colorful country-boy personality, right down to the southern drawl and unpretentious style, is no act, Watson assures.

"If he had $50 in the bank or $50 million in the bank, he's going to be the same exact person, and, hopefully, that's one day what people will say about me," Watson said. "We're all different people, but he's just a good-old boy who loves to have fun."

Weekley's practice round Monday at Augusta was no different . . . well, maybe only slightly.

"We gave him a couple of quiz questions out there and he passed them all," Slocum said, wanting to make sure Weekley knew which famous creek and bridge he was crossing. "He's not much on tradition."

Weekley admitted as much, saying he probably has watched 18 holes of Masters coverage combined in his 34 years.

He'd rather he hunting or fishing or shopping in neighboring Jay - with one red light and what Weekley calls a good hunting store.

"It's got it all in it," he said, citing everything from clothes and gun safes to washing machines and sofas.

He talked in almost reverent terms, the way some talk about Augusta National, which begged the question: Is Augusta National ready for Boo Weekley, regular guy Masters champion?

"You know what? I think they could warm up to him," Slocum said. "He would be a great ambassador, as country boy as he is, because he loves golf. I guarantee it would be a really good cool story."

After all, as Slocum says, Weekley already has the flak jacket; now he just wants the green one.

Facts, figures

* What: 72nd Masters.

* When: Thursday through Sunday.

* Where: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Ga. * Length, par: 7,445 yards, 36-36-72.

* Purse: To be determined ($7.4 million in 2007).

* Field: 93 players (three amateurs).

* Defending champion: Zach Johnson.

* Television: 2-5 p.m. Thursday and Friday, ESPN; 1:30-5 p.m. Saturday, CBS 4; 12:30 p.m. to conclusion Sunday, CBS 4.

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