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By Helen Ross
PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents

AKRON, Ohio -- When Boo Weekley played in the Nationwide Tour event in Highland Heights last year, his host suggested he take a short detour and go play Firestone Country Club.

Boo Weekley plans to spend his outdoors outside, but not necessarily playing golf. (WireImage)

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

WEEKLEY THRU 18 HOLES

Category Total Rank Eagles 0 N/A Birdies 3 T26 Pars 14 T5 Bogeys 1 T79 Double Bogeys 0 N/A Othr 0 N/A Driving Accuracy 57.1% T24 Driving Distance 327.0 yds. T11 Greens in Regulation 72.2% T1 Putts per Round 29.0 T43 Putts per GIR 1.769 T46 Sand Saves 0 N/A

• Boo Weekley's Player Page

After all, Firestone's South Course is one of the country's finest layouts. It has hosted three PGA Championships, as well as the winner's-only World Series of Golf and World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.

Weekley, though, politely declined.

"I told him that's all right, I'll see it next year," he recalled.

Turns out, Weekley was able to back up those words. He is at Firestone this week, playing in his first World Golf Championships event, and an opening 68 has positioned him two strokes off the lead.

"I had a lot of confidence during that time, and I still have it now," said Weekley, who went on the finish solo third in that Nationwide Tour event. "As long as I keep everything in front of me, (I'll be OK)."

Indeed. Weekley played well enough last year to earn a return trip to the PGA TOUR. He showed he belonged, too, when he won the Verizon Heritage, a month after losing in a playoff at The Honda Classic.

He even made some noise at the 136th Open Championship two weeks ago as an opening 68 landed the unassuming Floridian with the syrupy Southern drawl in the interview room -- much to the delight of the international press.

Yes, Weekley really did play with 1999 Open champion Paul Lawrie the week before in Scotland and asked him if he had to qualify for the event at Carnoustie. Of course, he's quick to tell you he failed history -- in high school and in college.

He's certainly not one to stroll around the clubhouse and look at the plaques with the names of past champions hanging on the wall. Maybe, though, Weekley's desire to stay in the present helps him focus on the task at hand.

"I think there's too many other things going on in my mind than it is to worry about what happened in the past," Weekley explained. "You can't change what happened in the past, you've just got to go out and do what's in front of me.

"You know, some of it is pretty neat to hear about, especially when I was over in Scotland, what happened to Paul Lawrie and that guy, whatever his name is. That was pretty neat because I didn't know."

Weekley admittedly might have been the only one in attendance at Carnoustie who didn't know what happened to "that guy," Jean Van de Velde on that fateful Sunday. Golf is simply a job to him, though, a vocation, not an avocation.

"Just like if I would have clocked in and worked at that chemical plant, do my eight hours and I'm gone," Weekley said.

Golf, he agrees, is much more fun. Truth be told, though, Weekley's grand plan doesn't involve big silver loving cups or sparkling crystal trophies. He likes the competition and he loves being outside -- but he has other prizes in mind.

"I relate everything to hunting and fishing," Weekley said. "It's my dream to become a hunting and fishing guide or something like that, and that's what I'm going to do when this is all over."

When it's over, he says it won't be hard to walk away from paychecks like the $1.35 million one that goes to the winner at Firestone come Sunday. Not if he's invested well, that is. And don't expect to see the 34-year-old on the Champions Tour, either.

"It ain't about the money," Weekley said. "Life is too short to be worried about the rest of it."

He prefers not to share his goals, saying they are personal. Weekley will tell you, though, that he's about two weeks away from buying 200 acres in Alabama where he can hunt and fish to his heart's content.

Asked what prey might be targeted, Weekley smiles and says, "Everything. I think the good Lord started down there in the South and kind of worked his way around to everything else."

The ultimate goal is to acquire about 1,000 acres where he'll build a cabin -- a lodge, maybe -- and a great big fishing pond. Weekley longs for the chance to commune with nature and loves the thrill of the chase.

"I've got a couple on the wall," he said. "I've killed a couple that I thought I should have mounted but I never mounted. I know there's one out there bigger."

Right now, there's something more to accomplish in golf, too, though, so Weekley has set no timetable to start his second career. He'll just know when the time comes, and he'll do it.

"It's just a personal goal," Weekley said. "It's just stuff that I want to keep to myself there. It's not a money goal (where I say) as soon as I make that much money I'm going to go ahead and hunt and fish for the rest of my life.

"It's just an overall goal where I want to be in my life 10 years down the road or 12 years down the road and say, 'okay, this is what I did, this is what I've done.' I've accomplished everything I've wanted to accomplish, and I'm ready to move on to something bigger and better."