Boo Weekley – Homeboy at the Ryder Cup
Not Just About the Money and the Title
 Editor’s Note: Boo Weekley of Jay, Florida, a longtime avid hunter and fisherman and rookie member of the 2008 Ryder Cup Team U.S.A., helped lead the U.S.A. team on September 21 to their first victory in 9 years at the 37th Ryder Cup. Many didn’t believe this young, rag-tag team with six rookies had a chance to beat the well-established European team. But they didn’t know the Americans had a secret weapon – a magnificent golfer who not only had the skill and the power to win a golf match, but the charisma to set the world of golfing on-fire with his down-home sayings and mannerisms, his yes-sir and yes-ma’a m rearing, and his good-natured, fun-loving spirit. When one sports writer told Weekley that most experts didn’t give the U.S.A. team much of a chance, Weekley said, “You don’t know what you’ve got untilyou get out there and play with it. It’s like getting a new pack of hounds when we were growing up and going deerhunting. You didn’t know what kind of dogs you had until you ran ‘em. So, let’s run ‘em, and we’ll see.” And, after watching the Americans win over the Europeans, everyone realized these underdogs hunted just fine. This week Weekley tells us how he made the team and recalls the U.S.A.’s unexpected, yet well-deserved, victory at Valhalla.
Phillips: Boo, other than winning the title, did you and the rest of the players on the American Ryder Cup team win any money?
Boo: No, sir. All the money the U.S.A. team players would have received wasdonated to charities and colleges of the player’s choice.
Phillips: Boo, to whom did you give the money you would have won?
Boo: My main charity was Camp Compass, which takes inner-city kids who never have hunted or fished on hunting and fishing trips of a lifetime. I also donated to the University of Alabama, the University of West Florid a and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
Phillips: What did the colleges say when they received the money from the Ryder Cup?
Boo: They sentme a ham, a hat, some shirts and other awesome products I really appreciated.
Phillips: Boo, you were the official starter for the Talladega 500 in October. Have you ever been involved in stock-car racing, and what did you think when they asked you to become the official starter of one of the biggest races in NASCAR?
Boo: This will be an awesome event and a big honor for me. My son, my wife Karen and my father-in-law love the idea of me starting the Talladega race. Don’t get me wrong; I love it, too. But I don’t watch much NASCAR racing, because every Sunday, I’m either playing golf or traveling. So, very rarely do I ever get the chance to sit down and watch a race, but I definitely will see this one.
To learn more about Camp Compass, visit www.campcompass.org.
Tomorrow: Playing Under Pressure |
