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BELL CANADIAN OPEN

September 12, 2004

Mike Weir

OAKVILLE, ONTARIO

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, Mike, for joining us for a few minutes. I know it's a tough loss for you, but I'll tell you what, I know all your Canadian family is pulling for you and is right there with you right now.

Why don't we just start with questions.

MIKE WEIR: First of all, I'd like to say that I don't know if the camera is rolling, but I'd like to thank all the fans. It was absolutely an awesome week. I had a fantastic time. For whatever reason I could never get comfortable on the greens, but outside of that, it was a tremendous week, something I'll never forget. You know, I'm disappointed not only for myself, but obviously for everybody who was out there supporting me. It was really special.

You know, I think maybe in the end maybe I was just trying too hard. That's this crazy game. When you try too hard, sometimes it doesn't work out. I played fantastic. I played really, really solid, played really good golf all week. It was a fun week.

Q. Did Vijay have any words for you when it was over?

MIKE WEIR: No, not really. He just said, "good playing." That was it.

Q. (Inaudible).

MIKE WEIR: The guy grabbed me pretty hard across my back and my neck as I was walking through there. I don't know if that had anything to do with that pulled tee shot on the next hole, but it was pretty smooth sailing tee balls up until that point.

Q. (Inaudible).

MIKE WEIR: No, that was unfortunate. You know, I don't know if the guy drank too much or whatever. I don't know what to say about that.

Q. How are your emotions right now?

MIKE WEIR: Obviously I'm very disappointed. You know, like I said, for whatever reason, I could not find a comfort level on the greens. When I look back on this tournament, when I have time to reflect on it, that's what will stick with me. As a matter of fact, especially the last few days.

I made that one putt on No. 10 today and that was the only putt I made in two days really. I felt like if I could have putted halfway decent, it wouldn't have even been a golf tournament. I need to go work on my putting here with my coach in the next week.

Q. I was going to say, was there a feeling today as you were going along that you thought about yesterday's round and the number of putts that were short and what you could have done yesterday when Vijay and Jesper were struggling right next to you?

MIKE WEIR: No, not really. I just wanted to go out there and just play solid. I had a three-shot lead and it was just one of those days. The tee shots I hit off-line didn't end up in very good spots. I pulled it on No. 2 and I was right up against the lip, and other than that I didn't hit a bad tee shot until No. 11 and it was in that grassy knoll right there. If they're in the bunker I can play them.

That's golf sometimes. Sometimes you'll be right in the middle of the bunker and have an easy shot, but for whatever reason it wasn't meant to be today, and I'll give it a shot next year.

Q. At 16 you seemed to hit a really good shot in there. Was that just a part misread or what happened there for the three-putt?

MIKE WEIR: I misread it. I thought I made that putt all the way. I didn't judge the speed of that very well. I think coming out of the valley holes with the greens being a little bit different, they resurfaced those greens a little bit in the valley, and then you come up on top where that green is a good green, I thought I hit it very soft. I couldn't believe that it rolled five feet by. I totally misjudged it. Even at that pace, it still broke hard. I thought it was going right in the middle.

Q. I'm sure you're aware of your status or how people in this country feel about you, but was this new or different for you, even for all the years you've played up here?

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, it was really something special. Last year was special coming in, kind of the first time back playing in front of home fans after winning The Masters, and that was pretty cool. But this year was -- I think being in contention in the tournament all week was great, fantastic. Like I said in my opening comments, it was something I'll never forget. I'll always remember this week no matter what I do the rest of my career.

Q. Were you able to draw a little bit on Augusta from last year just over the last couple of days? Was there anything that remotely compares between the two circumstances?

MIKE WEIR: I think probably the level of pressure was right there with Augusta for sure. You know, when I had that putt in regulation to win on 18, that's all that was going through my mind, just do the same routine. I was drawing upon that putt I had to make at Augusta, and I went through the process exactly how I wanted to.

Again, that thing snap-hooked across the front of the hole. For whatever reason, it wasn't meant to be this week. That's the bottom line. I didn't get it done, for sure. It was me who didn't get it done, but I just kind of didn't have anything falling my way the last few days.

Q. We know you and Vijay are good friends. He seems to feel worse than some of the fans. What did he say to you at the 18th green?

MIKE WEIR: As I said, he just said, "Great playing," and that was it. He knows how much this tournament means to me. Vijay is a great guy. I enjoy playing with Vijay. He's deserving of where he's at right now in the game. He's playing great and he's having a heck of a year.

Q. Could you feel the weight of the country today?

MIKE WEIR: Every shot. You know, on some of the holes you don't get -- I was literally deaf, just being screamed at. I had to open my mouth and give a yawn to pop my ears as I got to the tee. It was pretty cool.

Q. Does the intensity ever get unbearable? I remember sometimes players in the Ryder Cup have said that it's almost too much having to make a putt to win something like that when there's so many people who seem to care so much about it.

MIKE WEIR: I did kind of feel like that a little bit more today, for whatever reason. I wasn't able to gather my emotions like I normally do, and that, looking back, is probably why I didn't feel comfortable. I was searching a little bit to find that comfort and the feel and the touch in my hands. Usually in those situations I'm good. I'm good in those situations, but I think if you have a long career, everybody is going to have a tough loss here or there. This is a tough one, no doubt about it, but I'll be back.

Q. Do you think you'll be able to put this one behind you or do you think this is going to linger for a long time?

MIKE WEIR: I don't let things linger with me very long. It's a game. I mean, I love it, I love the game, but it's a game. It's not life or death. Sure, it hurts. I mean, it's disappointing, but I'll be over it. I'm ready to go back to work right now. I already know what I'm going to go to work on with my coach. I'm going to work on my putting and get that rectified a little bit and be back in another week.

Q. Is it actually tougher for a Canadian to win this tournament than elsewhere on the Tour? You've won Masterses, you've won other tournaments. Is this actually tougher?

MIKE WEIR: It's way tougher, much tougher. Like I said, I mean, every shot is magnified. You're getting yelled at constantly nonstop. That doesn't quite happen in a major every time. There's just a lot more to it than a regular event.

Q. Does this mean as much to you as a major?

MIKE WEIR: It's right there with a major, no question. I think it would have been really special to do it. It's right there for sure.

Q. The actual skill of putting, it was so clutch for you when you won at Augusta. Vijay has won seven times, went from the belly putter down to this, and then you say you didn't feel comfortable. What is it about that specific skill and how it changes so much from day-to-day?

MIKE WEIR: In putting it's minute details. Your alignment, head position, sometimes shoulder alignment gets out of position. Little things throw your balance off and throw your line of sight off.

I was trying everything in the book to try to see the proper line. When you're putting well, you kind of see it right, you just hit the putt and it goes in. My line wasn't very good the last couple days for whatever reason. I don't know, I will go back and assess that, whether it was my head position or alignment. Something was throwing me off.

Q. I apologize for asking this in advance. Did you hear from Wayne Gretzky or any of the hockey players this weekend?

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, Wayne gave me a call yesterday. It would have been pretty cool. Obviously they're going to the final game. Yeah, it was nice to hear from him.

Q. (Inaudible).

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, it was a great shot there. I really thought I was going to make that putt, too. Right at the end -- that putt, I had a 5-iron -- my ball was just over the bunker and I had like 220 yards, 225 downwind, hit a good solid 5-iron that drew right to the center of the green, and even though it was about 15 feet longer than the putt I had in regulation to win, it was on the same line, and the one that I had in regulation to win broke hard right across the front of the hole. That one hung out there and didn't fall. Like I said, it wasn't meant to be, for whatever reason.

Q. In terms of missed opportunities, is there one or two that you think you'll remember longer than any other?

MIKE WEIR: I think the ones I'll probably remember were the one in regulation on 18 and the second playoff hole. I could have swore that putt was going to break hard left on 17, and it did not at all. It went dead straight, and Vijay's putt broke across the hole from the other side, and mine just stayed right there. Strange.

Q. (Inaudible).

MIKE WEIR: It was probably six, seven feet.

Q. (Inaudible).

MIKE WEIR: I think it does, yeah. I didn't read that quite right. Even Cliff Kresge, who I played with, he actually got kind of a bad break. It settled in a spike mark. Right at the crest of the hill there's just a tiny little rise up. Yeah, my touch normally, I would just cozy that down there.

Q. (Inaudible).

MIKE WEIR: 8-iron.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, Mike, for joining us. Appreciate your time.

End of FastScripts.

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