Call him a character if you want, but Boo is Boo
By Jessica Lovell, PGATOUR.COM Sales Assistant
What will you remember about the 2008 season? That was the question we asked PGATOUR.COM staffers and freelance contributors, who responded with a series of short essays that we will post during November (click here for the archive link).
What was it about Boo Weekley that so many fans loved during the 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla Golf Club? Was it his intense patriotism on the course? The southern charm in his vocabulary and accent? Or better yet, was it his goofy "Happy Gilmore" dance down the first fairway during Sunday's round?
The answer: It was all of those things.
Growing up in the South, I can appreciate Boo Weekley's larger-than-life personality. After all, I grew up hearing words like "ain't" and "y'all" being said in the unmistakable southern drawl. Boo is your average Southern boy just trying to make it through this thing called life.
Most everyone in the south can relate to his mannerisms, his unconventional camouflage golf attire and his off-course hobbies. Fishing and hunting are, after all, a way of life for us Southerners. His charm and down-to-earth personality make him attractive to fans everywhere. But that approach wasn't the only thing that pulled together the U.S. team.
Boo created a much-needed sense of humor that kept his fellow Americans loose during one of the most pressure-packed events in golf. During his famous gallop down the first fairway on Sunday, Boo succeeded in creating an environment similar to that of an SEC football game. The Southern Kentucky crowd came together and got the U.S. team fired up. Fist pumps and chants were seen everywhere. One of the most memorable chants was Boo-S-A! Boo-S-A!
Boo's goofy ways relaxed the U.S. team that has often been criticized for folding under pressure during the Ryder Cup. Not this year. The U.S. finished in a storybook way that will surely be remembered for years to come.
Some people may not understand Boo's unusual personality, but no one can argue that he is not a likeable guy that you cannot help but pull for each week when he tees it up. I, on the other hand, understand exactly where Boo Weekley is coming from.
After all, I "ain't" at all ashamed of my Southern roots.
Jessica Lovell, a PGATOUR.COM Sales Assistant, regrets that she never performed the Happy Gilmore dance during her playing days on the Auburn women's golf team.
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