Despite success, Holmes and Weekley show they have a lot to learn
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — J.B. Holmes and Boo Weekley have a down-home style that clicks with the Louisville crowds. On the driving range Friday afternoon, Holmes was bombarding the stage where the opening ceremonies were held on Thursday. It was about about 325 yards away, and the grandstands erupted in cheers every time Holmes bounced one off the roof.
As Weekley practiced his putting, a man wearing a camouflage hat said to his pal, "Man, I love Boo. He's wearing blue pants, black shoes and white tube socks!" With a Tennessee accent, his friend replied, "Hell, he's just happy he found a pair of socks."
Everywhere the pair went during their four-ball match against Lee Westwood and Soren Hansen on Friday, choruses of "Boooooo" filled the in the air. Holmes, who was an All-American at the University of Kentucky, was greeted with hollers of "Go Cats!"
But for all the flag-waving and cheering the pair incited, Holmes and Weekley's inexperience was glaringly evident in two key situations.
On the 464-yard, par-4 12th hole Weekley faced a slippery downhill chip from about 35 feet away. After spitting out some tobacco juice, he delicately chipped onto the green and watched his ball tumble into the hole for a birdie.
The crowd erupted, and Weekley waved his arms and egged them on. Then he turned and waved toward the grandstand on the other side of the green. All the while, Westwood still had a 25-foot putt that could have halved the hole.
"You walk a fine line when you start doing that sort of thing," Westwood said after the match. "I've still got a putt for halve. There is no need to do it between the shots. At least wait until you're walking up to the green or walking off the green."
In some ways, the situation was very similar to the celebration on the 17th hole at Brookline in the 1999 Ryder Cup, when Justin Leonard holed a 60-foot putt against Jose Maria Olazabal.
When asked about the incident, Weekley said, "Well, I mean, I didn't mean to if I did. But the crowd — you can't control the crowd a little bit. And at the same time, we was trying to keep them positive and keep us positive."
With experience, Weekley will learn that a player like Westwood gets motivated when he feels he has been disrespected. If the crowd goes bananas it's one thing, but if he feels that an opponent has incited them, that's another.
The Americans' second slip was more crucial because it cost them points. They brought a 1-up lead to the par-5 18th hole, where Weekley hit his drive right and into a creek. It was a mistake, but an excusable one. But Holmes then found the water with his drive too. That was inexcusable. In that situation, Holmes has to put his shot in the play, even if it means hitting a 3-wood, 5-wood or even an iron off the tee.
That blunder allowed Westwood and Hansen to relax, play conservatively and win the hole. They halved the match and stole a half-point that should have gone to the the Americans.
Weekley and Holmes had a successful Ryder Cup debut in many ways, but if they can learn a few things from their mistakes, screams of "Boooooo" and "Go Cats" will be heard all weekend.
