Boo Weekley has a unique way of looking at Augusta National

Boo weekley loves to fish almost as much as he loves tohunt, so he recognizes a baited hook when he sees one.

Lastweek at the Masters, where Weekley was making his first appearance,at the age of 34, people kept fishing for complimentsor superlatives.

"Watcha thinka the course, Boo?" "How 'boutthat Magnolia Lane, Boo?" "Ever see greens this fast, Boo?"

But Weekley, who affects a homespun naivete about two rural mailboxes shyof Forrest Gump 's, refused to bite.

"I wasn't in awe, by no means," he saidafter his Tuesday practice round, shunning the Magnolia Lane lure. "It's justanother bunch of trees and a golf course." He shrugged. "But it's a nice golfcourse. I don't want the chairman to take it the wrong way."

He turned to hisagent, Jimmy Johnston . "Who's the chairman? It's not Hootie anymore, is it?"

This exchange took place under agreen-and-white umbrella on the AugustaNational lawn. But don't get the wrongidea. Boo (official name: Thomas BrentWeekley) wasn't buying rounds of highballsfor well-heeled friends with pastelsweaters tied around their necks.

He wasmerely planting his elbows on the tablelong enough to satisfy a reporter anddrain a plastic cup of ice water.

So the reporter cast another line -- theone about how, while growing up in theFlorida panhandle, Weekley must havespent many a summer afternoon dreamingthat he had a five-foot putt to winthe Masters.

Boo shook his head. "As a kid, I reallywasn't thinkin' about no golf," he answered."I only got serious about it maybe10 years ago."