Celebrating the differences of Spieth, Weekley at Travelers

— -- CROMWELL, Conn. -- One of the players in Sunday's final pairing at the Travelers Championship is among the most recognizable faces in the game today.

The other looks like he just fell off a fishing boat.

One of them is seeking his 10th career victory before the age of 24, a mark achieved by only a single player -- Tiger Woods.

The other is 43 and seeking his first top-25 finish of this season. One of them is nicknamed Golden Boy. The other is a good ol' boy.

The juxtaposition between Jordan Spieth, who leads at 12 under, and Boo Weekley, who's 1 shot back, is wide enough for the nearby Connecticut River to run through it. From their pedigrees to their physical appearances to even how they speak -- OK, especially how they speak -- they're about as completely opposite as two PGA Tour pros can be.

Don't believe it?

Here's Spieth on putting: "I was just visualizing it going in the last few holes instead of how to stroke it. I visualize where the ball's tracking, and that's when I'm putting my best."

And here's Weekley: "I change putters like I change underwear, man. If it don't work, we're putting another pair on."

The final pairing won't simply be golf's version of The Odd Couple, a study in contrasts that doesn't often occur in such a cookie-cutter industry.

It will serve as a reminder of the beauty of golf. The ball doesn't care if you're a phenom or a guy trying to claw his way toward an elusive opportunity. The scorecard doesn't know if you've won two majors or haven't even played any in two years.

All of which should make the final pairing a brilliant display of dichotomy -- and for all the right reasons.

Think about it: If Hollywood wanted to cast roles for the two most disparate golfers it could find, it'd fill one with a Spieth-type character who is elegant on the course and eloquent off of it, and the other with a Weekley-type character who is, well, a character of the highest degree, a cartoon version of a professional golfer who has suddenly come to life.

They don't even look like they'd play the same sport. Spieth is baby-faced, focused, intense. Weekley is paunchy, with flecks of gray in his stubble, the kind of guy who exudes a fun attitude.

As if that isn't enough reason to be intrigued by their interactions on Sunday, there's more to this story than simply two unlike-minded players.

That's because their lack of commonalities ends at one thing they can both agree upon: They each really like the other guy.

"Jordan's a good dude," said Weekley. "He's one of the most humble kids out here that play with us right now. Day in and day out, he's one of the most humble kids. My hat's off to him and who he is as a person."

"I hope I'm having as much fun each day as Boo's having," Spieth offered. "I mean, he lives it up. It's fun to be around Boo. He's always very nice to everybody he sees. Has some kind of a joke. If he's had a couple pops, you barely understand him with his country accent. He's a guy everybody very much respects and really likes being around, and that's fun. That's fun to play with."

A few years back, Spieth borrowed some fishing rods from Weekley while playing at Doral, going after a few bass following his rounds.

If nothing else, that gives them a topic for conversation during any downtime, though Spieth readily admits, "I'm a beginner compared to Boo."

Their career trajectories are completely dissimilar, but they've intersected this week. Again, it's this unpredictability, this lack of a singular way to go about the job, that makes this game so utterly fascinating on a regular basis.

Jordan against Boo. The Golden Boy against the good ol' boy.

Two totally different types of guys going after the same ultimate prize. Consider it the epitome of professional golf. It proves once again there's more than one way to find success.