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By Lauren Deason
PGATOUR.com Editorial Coordinator

For the first December in nine years, Boo Weekley gets to forgo the most worrisome time of the year for a PGA TOUR player: Q-school.

Former Nationwide Tour players Heath Slocum (left) and Boo Weekley (right) at the OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup. (Franklin/Getty Images)

So, without that daunting appointment on his agenda, Weekley's gotten to do more of what he loves in his spare time - duck hunt, deer hunt, dove hunt, turkey hunt...

"Seems like every year I've had to go all the way to December, trying to get all my stuff right," Weekley said. "And this year, I've actually taken advantage of the time off I've gotten, and done what I wanted to do, hunting and fishing and spending a lot of time with the people I don't get to spend time with during the times I'm playing golf."

Of course, he did do a little trophy hunting over Thanksgiving week as he and high school pal Heath Slocum represented the United States in the OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup in China.

The duo, who met in 1989 as freshmen in high school, has done tons together over the years. They played basketball, football, golf and baseball as friends growing up in Milton, Fla., and even both made it to the PGA TOUR. But they weren't quite able to capture their first win as a pair, falling just short in a playoff loss to Scotland's Colin Montgomerie and Marc Warren.

Still, Weekley got to experience his first trip to China and, despite the loss, considered it a positive one.

"To be able to come over here and see this great country and meet these wonderful people and play in a great event like this was really something special. I know we feel kind of disappointed of how we finished up, but overall, it was a great week.

"...This is going to be a good venue for the next couple of years to have it here, and I hope that the U.S. would love to have me and Heath back again to represent it."

For Weekley, a camouflage-wearing country boy who made his first trip away from North America for the 2007 British Open, it's been a year of new experiences. He earned his first TOUR win at the Verizon Heritage with back-to-back chip-ins on the 17th and 18th holes at Harbour Town.

There was the aforementioned trip to the Open Championship, where he had his first encounter with British cuisine and cars being driven on the opposite side of the road. The newness didn't affect his performance, as he was just three shots back after an opening-round 68 before finishing in a tie for 35th.

His win opened up other doors, allowing the 2006 Nationwide Tour grad to make his first start in a World Golf Championships event at the Bridgestone Invitational. Weekley then earned his first top-10 finish in a major at the PGA Championship and also made his first appearance in the TOUR Championship a few weeks later.

In the first FedExCup, Weekley ended the season at No. 25 on the points list.

With all of those firsts happening in 2007, there's still one very special new New Year's Resolution Weekley can make for 2008: Win at Augusta National Golf Club when he makes his first appearance in The Masters.

But, for now, there's just one thing on Weekley's mind. As he once said, "I don't watch golf. If it ain't huntin' and fishin', it don't interest me."

After all, it is deer season, y'all.