Print this page  |  Close Window

By Boo Weekley
Special to PGATOUR.com

Editor's note: Boo Weekley is teaming with his good friend, Heath Slocum to represent the United States at the OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup in China. He'll be writing a diary each day for PGATOUR.com and this is his fifth installment.

SHENZEN, China -- Our day was good and our score was good, but Saturday was aggravating. It seems like we just couldn't get anything going. I mean, Heath hit a lot of good putts. But I really didn't hit it well today -- to my standards of what I thought I could do, anyway.

The greens were tough. The pins were tucked and it was really tough to get it close. But at the same time, I just struggled. Heath struggled a little bit, too. He kind of got down on himself, and I got down on myself. We just got a little aggravated out there and a little impatient a couple times. I'd leave Heath stranded or he'd leave me stranded, one way or the other.

Despite his frustrations, Boo Weekley is happy to have a one-shot lead. (Getty Images)

MORE BOO

• Long trek to China • Like the Olympics • Boo on the first round • So close, but yet so far

It was just a tough day. I'm aggravated with myself for the way I played, because I hit the ball actually solid. I just pulled it left, pushed it right. I think Heath said it best when he said we just 'survived the day.'

I did play well on the par 5s -- well, the first four, anyway. On the last par 5, I thought I drove it absolutely perfect but when I got down there, I had driven it up on to a sprinkler head. I got relief but I still had a real steep downhill lie, and trying to carry that water, I just kind of pushed it a little bit right and it hits in the rocks and goes in the water. If that ball doesn't go in that water, I'm right there in that bunker just short of the green. That would have left Heath a little easier shot but with me in trouble I know he was thinking: make sure I get it over the water. So I knew he took one more club than what he normally would have hit there, and he hit it kind of back center of the green and left himself a real tough putt and he 3-putted. But like I told him: 'I did it to you the first day, so we just kind of evened it. Let's go play golf.'

But he hit a lot of good putts today. I mean, a lot of good putts. Unfortunately they just didn't go in. He hasn't putted his best this week, and that's what's scary. I mean, if we get it rolling tomorrow and I start hitting my irons pretty good, it could get ugly. At the same time, we just have to go out and play one shot at a time and hope that we can carry on. We're in a position to win now and we can both kind of draw on our experiences. I think my win was a little different than Heath's. I mean, he had a little more pressure on him having to make a putt down the stretch to win. Mine was just that the good Lord helped me out there. I chipped in twice and you just don't do that, not back-to-back anyway.

But it's a plus to play with Heath because we both keep each other calm. We can get aggravated at each other, but it's not really at each other. We get aggravated, I reckon, at ourselves, more or less, because we know we're both trying so hard and we put pressure on each other instead of just saying, hey, it's just golf, we shouldn't even be here in the first place, but at the same time, they invited us to come over, so it's fun. I know we're both happy to be in this position with one day left to go.

The crowds and the people have been great this week. I've actually heard a couple of them holler my name. It doesn't sound like back home, but they have hollered my name. I kind of picked up the Chinese name for Boo. I could hear it, but I can't say it. I don't know how to say it but I heard it, and instead of saying Boo Weekley, it's something else. I'm not even going to try to repeat it because I'll butcher it up. It's always fun to hear your name, it doesn't matter, except when you're in trouble and your mama calls you by your real name and then you know you're in trouble.

Everybody seems curious about the food and what I've been eating this week. It's all pretty good. There is a barbeque or something going on back at the hotel tonight and we'll go try that out. Last night me, Heath and D.J. (Heath's caddy) had sushi. My caddy JoJo, doesn't eat anything like that. He's just mashed potatoes and steak. He's a home boy. So we're going to go try some Chinese out tonight. I like rice. I'm not afraid to try anything. I want to try it at least once, and then I'll know. If it's still moving -- well, I'm not into the moving stuff. But if it's where it's been cooked or warmed up a little bit, I might try it.

It would be nice to win, no question. I mean, we're going to go out there and play to win. We aren't going to lay down for nothing or nobody. We are going to go out and play our game, and if we win, we win. That's the big key. We both know each other well enough that I might hit the first shot so far left in the woods, and just be, whatever. And then Heath would be like, it's all right. He'll pat me on the back and say, 'Let's go, we're still in this thing. We can still win. We can still play.'

And that's the whole key to our game because we do complement each other so well, whether we're hitting it bad or hitting it good. We're still trying to pick each other up, trying to stay focused and positive. And if we win, we win. And Lord help me, I would love to win, because I'd love to hold that trophy up and say, hey, look here, guys, back home, we were the best team. You know that to me, would be awesome. I know my family, Heath's family, our friends and all the people in Santa Rosa County and the counties around us would love it, too. It would be awesome to win it while representing the United States.