Cheers for Boo: Weekley makes Champions Tour debut at Boeing Classic

Boo Weekley is ready to have some fun.

A three-time winner on the PGA TOUR, the 50-year-old Weekley is making his PGA TOUR Champions debut on Friday at the Boeing Classic at The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge just outside Seattle.

“I couldn’t be more excited to get out there and play with the guys I grew up playing with and watching before I got on TOUR,” Weekley said Thursday. “It’s been great seeing everybody, seeing their faces, seeing them smile and hearing them laugh. I’m looking forward to seeing where my game is.”

Weekley played eight Korn Ferry Tour events in the run-up to his debut. He made only one cut, but he still felt good about his preparation on the Korn Ferry Tour.

“Those young guys hit it so dadgum far on that tour,” said Weekley, a native of Milton in the Florida Panhandle. “I kind of want to see where my driver is when I’m out here against these guys my age.

“But I feel pretty good about my irons, but I ain’t been under the gun yet. Putting has been OK. Been hitting draws with my driver, and at least at this course (Snoqualmie) I’d rather hit a cut. So I’ve been working on that.”

His 279.2-yard driving average on the Korn Ferry Tour would rank just outside the top 30 on PGA TOUR Champions. It didn’t rank in the top 156 on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Weekley struggled with injuries toward the end of his PGA TOUR career, but he feels healthy now and will play as often as he can on PGA TOUR Champions. His aw-shucks demeanor and homespun sayings will be a breath of fresh air.

When he first entered the clubhouse to register for the Boeing Classic and sat down at a laptop, Weekley quipped, “They don’t need to give no redneck no computer.”

When asked if his name was Weekley, he replied, “Monthly, daily, yearly. And then there’s Weekley.”

He got his first taste of Snoqualmie in a practice round on Tuesday. He also played in a pro-am on Wednesday.

“I can see where this course you can get around in 5 or 6 under, but at the same time if you get in some of these bunkers you can get in some trouble,” Weekley said.

“The greens are not quite so smooth because they’re poa annua and a little bumpy. You still gotta make putts and hit shots. I’ll be kind of here and there.”

Weekley isn’t the type to come in with high expectations. There is no list of goals other than to have fun and be himself.

“My only expectation is to hope the good Lord lets me get up to go play every morning,” Weekley said.

“To be able to be out here to play with the guys who at one time were the best in the world. … and they’re still darn good. I’m not taking anything away from that. And I get to play with them and still learn from them.

“I’m the young gun. Still the puppy. I’ll learn how to play this golf course from them. You can learn so much every time you tee it up. You see a different shot and think, ‘I never thought about hitting it that way. Dang.’”

It seemed as though his fellow competitors were excited to see Weekley. They could be heard yelling, “Boo!” across the parking lot and on the range as he approached.

“We’re gonna have some fun,” Weekley said. “I’m wide open. Ain’t no telling what I’m gonna say or do. I’m gonna try to be respectful but at the same time, I still gotta be me.”

Boo gonna Boo. Which actually should bring plenty of cheers.