Was Colin Montgomerie just being kind with his compliments about Boo Weekley? We suspect so ...
Some things just get lost in translation. Take for example, Boo Weekley and Martin Kaymer squaring off on Wednesday in the first round in Tucson. The 34-year-old Weekley, the hick from Hicksville, hasn't played a lot of match-play golf. While Kaymer, a 23-year-old German, certainly has. On the first hole of their match, Weekley didn't know he was allowed to pick up his ball on the green even though Kaymer was looking at him, clearly expecting Weekley to do so.
"It's very strange. It's just strange to walk up there and just pick up your ball, you know what I mean? Especially when you ain't used to doing it."
Fair enough. Weekley, despite his uncertainty with the format, got past Kaymer - one of the world's best young players - and stuffed Sergio Garcia on Thursday in a bit of a grudge match. We're not sure how far Boo can go ... but you can expect he's got the nuances of the format down by now.
Colin Montgomerie certainly hopes so: The 44-year-old Scot and Ryder Cup stalwart was bemused by Weekley's innocence. As only Monty can do, in his clipped oh-so-proper accent, he said "I think he fell out of a tree," before going on to praise Weekley for the quality of his play. "Boo is a very good golfer and I expect him to be in the Ryder Cup team, I really do. I think it will be interesting," said Monty. For Boo's part, he just said: "I think Monty likes me."
It's worth the price of admission just to hear Monty said the word "Boo" ... but it's also a salivating thought to think of the pair of them locked up in a Ryder Cup duel come September. Too good to be true, perhaps, but you never know ...
Adam Scott is allergic to Americans: So perhaps he should try playing on a different tour than the PGA Tour. In seven trips to the WGC Match Play, Scott has been dispatched by Brad Faxon (2002), Tiger Woods (2003), Davis Love III (2004), David Toms (2005), Tom Lehman (2006), Shaun Micheel (2007) and now Woody Austin. ... So, that old Brit ploy of back-dating people's nationalities is out of the question for the Ryder Cup, then ...
David Toms is a smart cookie: Not only does David Toms have arguably the hottest wife of all Tour players, he also knows when to back down. And do it in style. With a third-round "date" on the cards with Tiger Woods, Toms withdrew from the WGC Match Play before taking on Aaron Baddeley, and he knew the rules. Because it's a match-play event, Toms was able to excuse himself with a bad back as a "concession" rather than a "withdrawal," meaning he'll still get $90,000 plus 262 FedEx Cup points for a lost second-round match.