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VERIZON HERITAGE

April 19, 2008

Boo Weekley

HILTON HEAD, SOUTH CAROLINA

DOUG MILNE: We'd like to welcome Boo Weekley in. Boo, 6-under par, 65 today. Great playing. You're the third-round leader of the Verizon Heritage, going into the final round tomorrow. Obviously a great day overall. Great front nine, just some general comments on how you feel and how you're looking forward to heading into tomorrow.
BOO WEEKLEY: Right now I'm a little tired, but overall I'm excited how I played. I played real well today, stayed pretty focused. But overall it was a great day. The wind got up a little bit on us. But everything worked out for the best.

Q. Usually it's hard for people to follow a low round with another low round, but you didn't seem to have any trouble doing that.
BOO WEEKLEY: I got on a stretch. On the front side I got to feeling pretty good how I was putting the ball. I got lucky and chipped in on 4. That kind of got me jump started. I seen one go in, and you've got a par-5 right behind it, and knocked it on in 2 there, and made two good putts there. And walked away with another birdie. I just got feeling solid over the ball. And I stayed within myself. This whole week I have.
For me I think if I could carry this over to every tournament, I think I'd be up on top about every week.

Q. You were a couple of groups behind the leaders last year. How do you think you'll react this year in the lead group?
BOO WEEKLEY: I don't know, I ain't never had it before (laughter). I'm just going to go out, like I said, just stay focused on my targets, standing on the tee box, pick my target, swing at my targets, same on the green. Just try to keep the ball in front of me.
I'll probably be a little nervous. If you ask everybody having the lead going into the last day, they are a little bit jittery. But whatever happens, happens.

Q. You kind of flew under the radar a little bit last year, that's not going to be the case this year. How much different do you think the experience is going to be with people calling your name?
BOO WEEKLEY: It should help. I don't think it's going to hurt any, especially if you're doing good. You want them to holler your name. I think that's about the same in every sport, isn't it?

Q. This is supposed to be one of these places where it takes you a couple of times here to figure it out and understand the greens and the tight fairways, but it's like ever since you unpacked your clubs last year, you've been playing pretty well?
BOO WEEKLEY: Like I said last year and this year, this golf course is similar to the one I grew up on. I'm very fortunate that I've hit the ball well this week. I haven't driven it the best I could. But I've hit the ball pretty well, and I've kept it in a place that I know I can score from.

Q. Anthony said that you guys have played some practice rounds together and got even to know each other pretty well. You seem like an odd couple, how did you get to know him?
BOO WEEKLEY: I think it was on the Nationwide Tour when we met the first time. And just happened to play a round. I think we played in Oklahoma last year in a practice round. He's a good kid. He's got a lot of talent. I haven't played with him much this year, but last year I think we got paired together a couple of times. On top of that we played a couple of practice rounds together.

Q. The way you've played, not just this year, but last year, seven straight rounds in the 60s. If you were not you, if you were somebody trying to catch you, do you think the way you've played so far, they would think maybe we just can't catch him?
BOO WEEKLEY: Man, it's golf, isn't it? Didn't you watch last year? Crazier things have happened (laughter).

Q. Did you play the entire round chewing tobacco? How often do you do that and what does if do for you in a round of golf?
BOO WEEKLEY: I don't think chewing tobacco is the whole key, I just like to spit a lot, you know (laughter). Kind of have to have something in my mouth, I reckon, like a Jolly Rancher or something.
I didn't have it in there the whole round. I put it in a couple of holes and throw it out a couple of holes. It's just back and forth. Whenever I think I feel like I need one or get tired of spitting white stuff.

Q. Did you have any on 4 through 8?
BOO WEEKLEY: I don't know. I don't even think about it. It's just a habit. It's a bad one, but it's just a habit.

Q. When you were going through that run of five birdies, you looked really confident over your putts. I think you jammed a couple of downhillers right in the cup. You were seeing the line pretty well I would imagine?
BOO WEEKLEY: I was hitting my spots. On the greens, the way I putt, I have to pick a spot. And like I said yesterday, if I can roll it over my spot, I've hit the best putt I could hit at that time. And I was very fortunate that they did fall.

Q. I think there was one that went round and round and round, did that tell you that things were going your way?
BOO WEEKLEY: Well, no, I think it just hit something. It just hit a ball marker, I thought I fixed. But it just hit it and shot it left. Thank goodness the hole is round (laughter).

Q. I guess we see golfers all the time that just really focused and into it, they don't look either way in the gallery, they don't interact with anybody in the gallery. That's not you. You seem to enjoy that kind of stuff even when you're leading the tournament?
BOO WEEKLEY: These people paid their money to come out and watch us play, why not talk to them a little bit? The way I feel about it, they're paying my bills. They're helping out anyway. So why not talk to them? That's all they want. They want you to acknowledge them.

Q. It doesn't affect your focus at all?
BOO WEEKLEY: No, you're looking around anyway. You're looking out there in the water or looking at the people (laughter).

Q. Can I ask you for the casual golfer, the weekend golfer, for the holes that I was walking with your group, you did such a nice job of keeping the ball low, low ball flight. I apologize, I have not seen you play before. I don't know if you hit it like that all the time or is this special?
BOO WEEKLEY: I hit low all the time. Yes, ma'am, the majority of the time I hit it kind of low. And you've got to keep it low around here just because of the wind. If you keep it below the trees the wind ain't going to affect it as much.

Q. Do you think that's part of why you've been so successful?
BOO WEEKLEY: I think in this golf course, yes, ma'am. I think it helps out a lot. You've got to hit it solid.

Q. Do you remember what you were thinking on the 16th fairway when you had that shot to go into the green on that one?
BOO WEEKLEY: Yeah, we were just trying to land it just short of the green, there. We hit a 5-wood, and that tree, from where we were teeing off from is like 285 or 290. You hit a 5-wood there, it's hard to believe, it just went that far. I mean, I hit it good, but it's still hard to believe that that 5-wood really went that far. I was just trying to take a little 9-iron out. I think I had like 196 to the front, just hit a little punch cut in there, keep it low and let it bounce on the front part of the green and roll up there. I goosed it a little bit. And it just took off.

Q. Would you tell me a little bit about, I know you're good friends with Glen Day, how you became friends with him and if he's offered or if you've asked any advice about playing this course?
BOO WEEKLEY: No, me and Glen are good friends. He's a redneck like I am. And he's just good ole boy. We don't really talk about golf when we're together. We talk about hunting and fishing mostly, something different. But we see enough golf and play enough golf together. If I'm messing up, he'll talk to me. He's kind of helped me out a little bit this week, actually, the way I was swinging at it. He kind of got me going in the right direction.

Q. Today you were paired with the hometown favorite, Lucas from Clemson, yet people were still kind of cheering for you more. Is that weird to be in that position where you're kind of the hometown favorite even though you're not from here?
BOO WEEKLEY: No, I really didn't think about it. You block all that out. It's still golf. I was pulling for Lucas. I wish he'd made some more putts. He kind of missed some putts there coming down the stretch. That kind of hurt him a little bit. He's a good player, a good guy.

Q. What will you do tonight as compared to what you did a year ago, the night before the final round? Anything different?
BOO WEEKLEY: No. It ain't going to be no different. And it won't be no different tomorrow night and the next night. I mean, I'll probably watch TV, get something to eat, hang out, you know. I ain't got no routine, if you ain't notice that. Just golf.

Q. Did you make any adjustments because the course seemed a lot windier today from the last two days? Did you do anything to adjust to the conditions?
BOO WEEKLEY: No, sir. I just tried to keep the ball in play. That was the whole key. On this golf course you've got to. You've got to make sure you're on the right side of the fairway, stay away from the trees that block the greens and stuff. That's the whole key out here, just make sure you get on the right side of the fairway, the left side, wherever you can have a shot in.

Q. Was there one shot today, maybe that first birdie of that five in a row, that kind of told you that you were on your game today?
BOO WEEKLEY: No, not really. I mean, I just hit it solid. I started seeing the line with the putter. I actually saw the line when I chipped it in on 4, I actually saw the perfect -- what I thought was the perfect spot if I landed that ball. Right there I thought I had a real good chance. And of course it landed right there dead on my spot and rolled in.

Q. Who does a better diary, you or your mom?
BOO WEEKLEY: I guarantee you mama does. She can spell (laughter).

Q. Last year after you won, you talked about how much winning out here meant and how much winning this tournament meant to you. Can you compare that to what it would be like to do two in a row?
BOO WEEKLEY: I don't know. I ain't got there yet. Ask me that question tomorrow.
DOUG MILNE: If you'll take us through your birdies, and just give us some clubs, if you don't mind.
BOO WEEKLEY: No. 4, I hit a 4-iron to what we thought was absolutely perfect, and of course it went a little long and I chipped it in.
On No. 5, I think we had like 211, 212, something like that to the hole, and I hit 5-iron right in the center of the green.
Then on 6, I think I hit a little punch -- it was a gap wedge, spun it back down there short of the hole. I had a straight-up-the-hill putt.
On 7, I hit a little choke 6-iron, kind of headed up against the wind there.
Then on 8, I hit a 7-iron just about pin-high left.
Then on 12, I had like 140, took an 8-iron, kind of back into the wind, choked it down, ended up there about two foot.
Then on 18, we had like 201, and I hit a 7-iron, all I was trying to do was cover that front. It was straight downwind, and get it in there about eight feet behind the hole, ten feet behind the hole and made it.
DOUG MILNE: Is your son here this week?
BOO WEEKLEY: No.
DOUG MILNE: Thanks for joining us. Best of luck tomorrow.

End of FastScripts

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