	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

MERRILL LYNCH SHOOTOUT

December 10, 2008

NAPLES, FLORIDA

JOHN BUSH: We'd like to welcome Boo Weekley and J.B. Holmes here into the interview room at the Merrill Lynch Shootout. J.B., we'll start with you making your second appearance here, first since 2006. Just get your comments on being back and what it is about this event that's so special to you.
J.B. HOLMES: I'm very grateful to be back. It's a very fun tournament. I like the play the team event, and they do a great job with different formats, so you get a little taste of everything with alternate shot and best ball and scramble. So you get to have a teammate, have a good time. And the fans are usually great, and it's just a good facility and they just do a first-class job on everything.

Q. Any tips you have for your partner this week making his first trip here?
J.B. HOLMES: Boo doesn't need any tips. He's got it figured out.
BOO WEEKLEY: Maybe some practice.

Q. Boo, welcome to the Merrill Lynch Shootout. Just finished up at the Pro Am. Just get some comments on being here for the first time and playing the course today.
BOO WEEKLEY: It's an honor to be here, be elected to come. The golf course is awesome. It's a great golf course. Kind of sets up pretty good for me. I think we have a good chance this week, I really do, me and J.B.

Q. All right. Questions for Boo. Boo, just get your impressions and your thoughts on what your season has been like and also what it's been like since the Ryder Cup. It's been quite an experience for both of you. J.B., we'll start with you.
J.B. HOLMES: It's been a great year for me. I got another win, and my main goal at the beginning of the year was to get on the Ryder Cup team, and I made it on the Ryder Cup team and I had the best week of my life golf wise, so it was an unbelievable experience.
I set out at the beginning of the year, set some tough goals, and I met them all, so I'm happy with that. And the Ryder Cup was just more than I could have expected it to be, and it was just an unbelievable experience.

Q. Boo, did you ever think you'd be sitting in a chair at "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno?
J.B. HOLMES: No. I never watched his shows. That was even more weird. He was like, "I don't know nothing about golf," and I was like, "good, because I don't know nothing about you." (Laughs).
My year has been great, too. I accomplished a lot of the same things that J.B. set out for himself, and it's kind of funny I set out a goal I want to go back out and win again and try to make it on to the Ryder Cup team, and I accomplished both of them.
And the Ryder Cup was just, like he summed it up when he said it was one of the greatest weeks in his life in golf, and it was, for me to. And I'm ready for the year to end where I can just go enjoy and relax and look back on what all has really happened in my life, the good things and the bad, but I'm ready for it to end.

Q. I'd like to ask you both, we're going to have a new Ryder Cup captain named tomorrow, and since you've only done it once, I just wonder what you think of that. Do you think the Ryder Cup captain matters? Obviously a lot made out of it this year with Paul, and what do you think going forward with somebody new?
BOO WEEKLEY: I mean I don't know if it makes a difference, but I just think that Paul had a good game plan.
I mean, you know, he set up. He actually talked to each one of us individually and got our input, and took time to actually understand each person that was on the team.
I think that made a little bit of a difference, and whoever they choose I'm pretty sure the PGA is choosing them for a reason and they've earned their spot to be there, so I think it will be an honor for them to be able to come and do it, and I look forward to maybe two years from now, if I'm still playing well or if I'm still out here playing with you all, that'll be awesome to make it on that team, too.
J.B. HOLMES: Yeah, I thought Paul did a great job, and I thought he made a big difference because I think he really planned well, did a really good job. There was 10 individuals coming into a team format, and he did a really good job on matching them up and making -- just making sure everything went well, and I think a lot of everything we talked about, the U. S. they weren't a team. And this year, Boo will agree with me, we were a team. Everybody was a team. Everybody was in for each other, and it was one goal.
And I'm not saying that the other teams weren't had one goal, but there was just a little more unity, and you could just see it, and I think a lot of that was Paul just doing some things that he thought would bring the team closer together, and I just felt like he set it up for us -- and I think the captain did, he set it up for us to where we could gel, and it was up to us to make the decision to come together and do it, and you know, and we did.

Q. If I could just follow up, all indications are it's going to be Corey Pavin. I don't know if you've heard that, but do you guys know much about it? Have you ever played with him? Back in his prime he was known for being quite the intense and gritty player. I just wonder if you have any thoughts on him.
J.B. HOLMES: I mean Corey is a great player. If he is elected, he definitely has earned the right. He's been a gritty player, and when it had to be done, he got it done, so I think Corey would be a great captain, gritty, fiery, ready to fight, so I think he'd do a good job.
BOO WEEKLEY: I don't watch that much golf. I mean I know who he is, but I never have actually watched him play golf.

Q. Guys, how do you follow up a year like this? Do you think you're going to feel any pressure to keep it up or does getting the success make you want now to get more of it?
BOO WEEKLEY: Oh, I'd say it makes me want to get more. I mean unfortunately right now it's kind of my off season, so I haven't played a whole lot. I kind of want to give myself a break and spend time with my family, but I'm pretty sure when the season gets started that my main focus will be wanting to get more.
I'm going to want it more, to give myself that opportunity to actually getting the taste of the Ryder Cup and maybe getting on a President's Cup team. I mean that's my next goal. That's what I've set out, at the beginning -- starting about the middle of this past year that was my goal. I wanted to say, okay, this is what I want to do now. If I don't make it on the Ryder Cup, I want to at least try to get to the President's Cup, so that's my goal coming into this year.
J.B. HOLMES: Yeah, definitely. Realizing you can handle the pressure of the Ryder Cup, that gives you confidence for the next year, so definitely I'm going to do the same thing I do every year. I'm going to sit some people down, close group, and go over some stuff and set my goals and what I want to get done for the next year.
And I would love to get on a President's Cup team, love to win another tournament, would love to win a Major, so you know, but there's a lot of areas in my game I can improve on. I just need to work on that.
You know, you're not going to be successful overnight. You gotta work at it. So there's stuff I need to work at, and I'm working on it and hopefully I'll reach my goals.

Q. I was just wondering what each of you have been doing since the season ended. Have you spent much time at home?
J.B. HOLMES: I know what Boo's been doing. Boo's been hunting. (Laughs).
But yeah, I've been trying to stay home. I got to go see my family at Thanksgiving and everything, but I actually just moved into that new house, and it's been a little hectic doing that. But I'm just trying to relax a little bit, just get away from golf a little bit.
It's been a long year. I focused so much on making the Ryder Cup team and getting on the Ryder Cup team, and then all that excitement, my brain was about ready to melt down. So I needed to just take a break.
So you know, taking a break. And you know, this week, I've been practicing for this week, so hopefully this week will go well, and after that I'll take a little more break and then start getting ready for Maui.
BOO WEEKLEY: I haven't been doing nothing but hunting. That and hanging out around the house with the kids and working on my land.
J.B. HOLMES: You told me you were going to practice.
BOO WEEKLEY: It got cold. It got below 50, and I don't like playing when it's 50. I know. I lied to you. I apologize. I'll make it up out here some way.

Q. After the Ryder Cup did you only play Disney?
BOO WEEKLEY: Yes.

Q. And are you going to play next week?
BOO WEEKLEY: I'm playing in Tiger's, yes.

Q. So really the start of the year for you really is right around the corner.
BOO WEEKLEY: Yes. It is.

Q. What will you do? Do you know what your schedule will be?
BOO WEEKLEY: Ain't got a clue. I'm going to play the first three tournaments. I know that. And I think we're going to go to Dubai and play. We're going to play the Mercedes and then Sony, and then I'm going to go to Dubai. And then I think I'm going to fly home, take a week off, come down to the PGA show and hang out, see what's belly-up down there. I heard a bunch of stories. I have to check it out and make sure they ain't lying.

Q. What's on the top of your priority list in terms of the game? What would you say is the top thing you've been working on in terms of your game?
BOO WEEKLEY: I gotta get started in '09 first. I mean every year is something different.
I'd say for me it's mostly my short game, putting, chipping. I think if I can get a handle on my putting, I feel like I gotta -- I mean every week I feel like I gotta I good chance. If my putter feels good in my hand. I normally hit it decent enough to at least get myself in position to win. It's just a matter if that putter wants to work.

Q. Boo, I'm curious, have you and Lee Westwood kissed and made up yet?
BOO WEEKLEY: What do you mean?

Q. I guess he wasn't real happy with some of the antics at the Ryder Cup.
BOO WEEKLEY: Looks like no relevance in racing, ain't it? (Laughs).

Q. Do you think with the economic times that with what you did, that people who are going to be coming out to golf events not only want to see good golf, but maybe be entertained a little bit, do you think?
BOO WEEKLEY: I'd say it could. I mean I'd love to see it happen. I'd like to see little things change out here just from my looking at it, you know, get the fans more involved.
I mean, you know, I think you oughta be able to show a little more of the characteristics of what really the person is. I mean, granted, now, if you slam a club or break a club, nobody wants to see that, but to actually walk up to people and communicate with them, talk with them, you know, it's pretty easy.
And J.B. does it. I've watched him do it at tournaments, too, where he's walked around the side of the rope and say, hey, how you doing, just kind of talk to people.
I wish everybody out here could at least grab that concept because everybody that's out there on the other side of them ropes watching us play, they're paying our bills. You know what I mean? They're paying my electric bill. They're paying for the diapers my little kid's got on.
And it ain't hard to do. It's real sample. All you gotta do is walk up and say hey to somebody, how is your day?
And granted, you got people like Tiger and Phil, it's kind of hard because when they start getting around people, they start mobbing them. I can understand it from their side. But I'm glad I'm not walking in their shoes when it comes to that, because I'd probably be doing the same thing, I'd stay right in the middle.

Q. I want to follow up on that, too. I guess you had a great interview with Jay Leno shortly after the Ryder Cup that you made some comments that it doesn't always have to be about Tiger. I was wondering did you get any particular feedback?
BOO WEEKLEY: No, sir. No, sir. I mean I didn't know I was supposed to. But if I did, I ain't out here to upset nobody. But I just think there's 200 and how many people playing on this Tour. It ain't about one person.
This is all about the Tour. I mean we're all on this Tour together. And granted, he's made it -- you look back from all the guys that's came up, there's always been one star, two stars, three stars that's always made the Tour run successful, have people come out and watch them.
And we got Tiger, and we got more new kids that are coming out. It ain't just about them. It's about all of us. That's what's good about this Tour because any minute one of us can step up and win. Any one of us. If we wasn't that good, we wouldn't be here.

Q. Boo, what have you heard about Dubai? Have you heard anything about that, how far away it is and what it's like? I'm just curious how that came down.
BOO WEEKLEY: All I know is when I get on that airplane I want a raft under me so if it does decide to go in some water, I want to be able to have a fighting chance to get home. That's all I know.
I don't know. I mean to tell you the truth, I didn't know I was going to go over there to Dubai to play golf.

Q. You were asked about the Leno show, or "Tonight Show". Did you find that people recognize you after that at all, anybody come up to you and say I saw you on that or maybe in town or at home?
BOO WEEKLEY: Oh, yeah, at home, a lot of people because they kind of run it in the paper. It's a big thing where we live at, you know. (Laughs). It ain't like -- I can't walk in the grocery store, I'll see ten people I knew I grew up with, know their mom or dad or something. It's kind of small around there where we live, we only got 500 people.

Q. I wanted to quick ask you something, too, J.B., about with some of the Kentuckians playing in the Ryder Cup, do you think that created a home course advantage?
J.B. HOLMES: I think, yeah, I mean I think it helped. I think the Kentucky fans, anything that's been held in that state is a big deal. They always brought out good support. So I mean they've had the PGA there and everything else. They've always had a lot of people coming in.
So yeah, I expect the fans to be great, and I think it definitely helps having a couple Kentucky boys on the team. I think that got it fired up a little bit more. But that they called the 13th man was a big factor for us.
BOO WEEKLEY: As Dan said, that was a hell yes. It made a big difference. It made a big difference.

Q. J.B., what are you working on in terms of your game?
J.B. HOLMES: Short game, wedges, putting. You can't get too good that. There's nobody in the world that's so good they don't need to practice on that. So I mean everybody can be working on that.

Q. Do you guys anticipate any equipment changes in '09 or are you guys looking at different putters, irons?
J.B. HOLMES: Nothing other than what I have right now.
BOO WEEKLEY: Not that I know of. I mean this year is fixing to be over with. We've still got till January, end of December, so nothing yet.

Q. Can you talk about you played in team format in the Ryder Cup. How do you think that translates to this event? Is it an advantage or not?
BOO WEEKLEY: I think it's kind of an advantage to us because we both know our weaknesses and we both know our strengths or vice versa.
I know he's going to bomb it down there on certain holes where it allows him where he can hit his driver where he feels comfortable. It's going to give us the opportunity with the wedges. And he knows I shouldn't miss too many fairways. So I think that's to our advantage.
J.B. HOLMES: And plus, our personalities work great together. We enjoy being around each other, and any time you're at a team event or anything like that and you really enjoy being around the person, it always makes it a little easier and more fun.
BOO WEEKLEY: I'm going to bring my boxing gloves because if I ain't playing no golf, he can "donk." (Laughs).
JOHN BUSH: All right, J.B., Boo, thanks for coming by this week.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297