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ABAC’s Weekley, UGA’s Watson finish strong at Augusta

• Former Georgia star Bubba Watson and ex-ABAC standout Boo Weekley each take part in their first Masters as both finished tied for 20th.

Scott Chancey

AUGUSTA — Amused by some Augusta National Golf Club patrons calling him, “Bo,” former Abraham Baldwin College Golfer Boo Weekley earned a large fan base by Masters’ end.

Before he teed off with 2007 champion Zach Johnson on Sunday, the crowd surrounding the first tee yelled, “Boooo!” The Milton, Fla., native who played at ABAC in 1996 was a hit with fans but struggled in the final round, carding a 5-over-par 77 Sunday. He was 3-over 291 for the tournament and tied for 20th with Johnson and fellow Milton High alum Bubba Watson, who is a graduate of the University of Georgia.

“The day was long,” said Weekley, who bogeyed the second and fifth holes along the front nine. “I wasn’t hitting it all that well (Sunday). I struggled. I struggled with the putter on the greens too, so that made it even longer.”

Things only got worse for Weekley along the back stretch, bogeying the 11th and 14th before double-bogeying the par-5 15. After bogeying the 16th, he at least salvaged the day somewhat with a birdie on the par-4 18th.

For the laid-back golfer with a distinctive southern drawl, he kept up the same mindset he had proclaimed all week: “It’s just golf.”

“Oh, I put it behind me,” said Weekley, who has admitted in the past he would rather watch a NASCAR race than a golf tourney on television. “One way or the other, you know, as long as I just get done without breaking something or hurting somebody, I mean that’s my goal.”

Watson, who attended Milton after Weekley graduated and helped lead Georgia to the 2000 SEC title, scored a 73 Sunday for the second consecutive round. He had a 74 Thursday and a 71 Friday. And Heath Slocum, who also was was a classmate of Weekley’s at Milton, scored under 70 for the first time in the tournament for a 3-under 69 for a 293 (T-33rd).

STAYING POSITIVE

Phil Mickelson finished his fourth round with a 72 after falling out of contention Saturday with a 3-over 75. Mickelson, who tied for fifth at 286, likes his game right now, except for the putting and chipping.

“You know, I thought that I struck the ball pretty well this week, and it’s encouraging that playing the majors I’m striking the ball better than probably I ever have,” said Mickelson, who has won two Masters titles and a PGA Championship. “My chipping came around this week. It hasn’t been where I wanted it the past couple weeks. … The last piece is I’ll spend a little more time on putting and try to get that dialed in. I think I’ve been neglecting it a little bit, working on the ball-striking aspect.

“When I come back in a couple weeks, hopefully I’ll have that straightened out.”

NOT GOOD AT PAR 5’s

Geoff Ogilvy won the 2006 U.S. Open and ended Tiger Woods’ string of seven tournament victories worldwide.

Coming into the Masters as a potential favorite, Ogilvy finished his four rounds at Augusta with an 8-over 296 (T-39th). On Sunday, he made three birdies and five bogeys. And on par 5s for the tournament, he made a bogey and only two birdies.

“It’s just one of those sort of weeks,” Ogilvy said. “I didn’t — I mean, I didn’t learn any more about how to play this course than I did last year. I just didn’t take the chances when I had my opportunities, really. I didn’t take advantage of my opportunities. So what are you going to do?”

THE CURSE CONTNUES

Rory Sabbatini said he was going to break the curse of the winner of the Par 3 contest Wednesday never winning the Masters once it starts the following day.

In the end, the curse appears to have broken Sabbatini, who failed to even make the cut.

CASEY’S COLLAPSE

A gust of wind blew away Paul Casey’s chances of contending for his first major title.

The Englishman, who started the final round four shots off the lead, was standing over a par putt at the sixth hole when his ball moved every so slightly. He called a one-stroke penalty on himself, then putted out for a bogey that should have been a par.

He followed with two more bogeys, made the turn with a 5-over 41 and was no longer a factor.

“That took the wind out of my sails, because it was so difficult out there (Sunday),” Casey said. “That kind of threw me for a couple of holes and that was it. Going into the back nine, I’m too far back, simple as that.”

Casey finished with a 7-over 79, dropping him all the way back to even par for the tournament and into a tie for 11th.

“As they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” he said. “I still had a great week. It’s very disappointing today and I’ll go away and think about this, but I have got to take the positives out of it as I always try to do. There was some very, very good golf that I played this week.”

Casey wasn’t the only one to impose a penalty on himself for the ball moving after it was addressed. Bernhard Langer took away a stroke in the first round, and amateur Michael Thompson called the same penalty Friday. Both missed the cut.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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