BOB HOPE CHRYSLER CLASSIC

January 20, 2004

Mike Weir

TODD BUDNICK: We welcome the defending champion, Mike Weir, to the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

Mike, this is the one that kind of got it all started for you last year. You went from here and won the Nissan and Masters and finished fifth on the Money List, your best year ever on TOUR. Let's revisit that, that first win last year, and talk about the memories.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, there was a lot of great memories here. Obviously I came off a pretty good week the week before and came in here with some confidence. It was a little bit of a tough week for me because my grandmother passed away and I had to go back to attend her funeral on Monday. So I didn't get in until late Tuesday night, about 3:00 in the morning. So I didn't play any practice rounds. So maybe my expectations were down a little bit.

I went out and got off to a nice start and it went really well all week. Really played pretty solid the first four days and really played well Sunday. It as a tough day with a lot of wind. I think my only bogey, I 3-putted No. 9, but other than that, I hit it really well and made some nice putts coming in and birdied the last three holes to nip out Jay by a little bit. It was an exciting finishing. Made a big putt on 17 that I was pretty excited about, pumped up about. Then, you know, got kind of a little downslope, a little controversy; should I have gone for the green or not, and I laid up and hit a wedge shot.

That wedge was the story to the three wins I made last year. That one was in the playoff; I had to lay it up. And in the Masters I had to hit a good wedge shot on 15 when I needed it. Maybe that was a little premonition of the year.

TODD BUDNICK: This is your second event of the year, you finished 24th at the Mercedes Championship. Talk about what you have worked on in the off-season, if anything. Did you take time off, did you ski?

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, it was such a short off-season this year with the Presidents Cup and the PGA Grand Slam in Hawaii, and I played Tiger's tournament, as well. So I only had three weeks. And basically I worked out quite a bit but didn't swing a golf club at all going into Hawaii. And I took Hawaii more as a vacation week. I wanted to play well obviously, but I didn't really prepare for it. I had last week to spend some time with my coach and really get ready for this week and kind of get things going here.

Q. I wanted to ask about the off-season. Obviously last year, you did have the extended the off-season and that was a big key to setting you up. Is that going to be an issue at all for you heading into this year or does it even feel like a different year?

MIKE WEIR: It doesn't really quite feel like a different year, kind of continuing on, it seems like. I think all of my life from junior golf on I've had extended off-seasons. Going to college cold weather climates, I was used taking time off. So didn't have as long as I'd like, but that was the reality. And things got crammed in last year for a lot of guys, not only myself. But again, I did have those though eagles to get way from the game and get ready.

I feel mentally fresh. I feel that way and like I said, the last few days I've been able to work with my coach and get some things ironed out a little bit, and it's starting to come around.

Q. You come in as the defending champion. Do you feel a lot more in demand, a lot more request for your time and energy coming back as a defending champ than you would have at another tournament?

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, there was a little more demands on your time when you're defending champion. There's a few more things going on. I think I've managed it well. I still feel like I've been able to get a lot of work in. I came in a little extra early. I got in here Friday night.

So I had four good days to work on my game and get some things done. So that was part of the plan to get in here a little early and get some things done. So I was feeling ready for tomorrow.

Q. I just wondered, with the year you had last year and the bigger picture of your golf career in general, was there a time before you came pro that you knew that this was what you were working for, was there a moment that you had your early playing days that you decided that this is the Masters and all of the success that you had that you were going to work towards that?

MIKE WEIR: Well, I think I had dreams as a junior golfer. I dreamt it and played it out in my mind on a putting green or practicing that, you know, that's the ultimate goal is to win a major. So it's like your dream come true when those things happened. I played it out in my mind. I never thought or did think it would happen but until you kind of keep chipping away at it and keep getting a little bit better and you have smaller successes winning some tournaments you kind of keep building on it.

I can't say that I saw that coming into last year, but I did see some good things with the off time I had, my enthusiasm for the game again last year and the work I put in. I knew I was going to start playing better than I did maybe in 2002. But I probably didn't think I was going to play as well as I did last year, but now that I did, I know I can play that way and I know I can play better. And that's the goal of mine is to keep trying to get better and hopefully I will.

Q. You talked a little bit about the tight finish last year with you and Jay, and even Tim Herron till the 14th, and then you had that stretch of play when you were in Top-10s, Top-5s leading up to the Masters. Talk about how playing in those type of matches and winning tournaments, what effect that had when you got to the Masters and there you were again in kind of a tight finish.

MIKE WEIR: Well, I think, you know winning twice early in the year, I definitely had a lot of confidence going into the Masters last year. Being in that kind of, as you said, tight situation, where it's coming down neck and neck the down the last few holes when you're able to pull those kind of tournaments out, I guess it gets your anxiety level is a lot lower. You feel confident in your ability to pull shots off under pressure. All of these little small victories kind of pay off in big-time situations.

So when I was there at Augusta with the chance to do it on the last four or five holes, I felt comfortable and trying to execute it. It's not always going to happen that way, but I felt like I was going on able to do it and there's a big difference there.

Q. You came in here last year off of the 2002 season with no wins. You end up coming in here this year as three wins, Masters champion, Player of the Year candidate, is there pressure to repeat that after of a big year, as opposed what you did last year where your expectations maybe came in a lot lower?

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, I think there's always pressure. There's pressure in the game. Every aspect of the game, it's pressure-packed, it seems like.

But I'm at a stage in my career and my game and my life that I can handle that. I'm secure about it, and you know, I'm my own worst critic and, you know, I put a lot of pressure on myself, not too much. But I think on my own, I critique my game enough that I put enough pressure on myself that, you know, outside influences don't bother me too much.

No question, there is some of that there. You can't deny that, but I can handle that.

Q. You hear all the time that last year was your career year, do you look at it that way or do you think there's more that you can do and bigger goals?

MIKE WEIR: I never heard it as a "career year." It was a great year.

I think it's something that I can keep building on. I'm still young enough that I feel like I have a lot of good years in me. I work hard at other aspects of my game, so I can hopefully have a prolonged career. We saw last year other guys in their 40s winning a lot of tournaments. Hopefully, knock on wood, I'll stay healthy enough and keep continuing on. It's a game that you can play or for a long time if you stay with it and work hard.

So, I don't look at it as a career year. I look at it as a satisfying, successful. It was a great year, no question about it. I think that I can keep building on it.

Q. Obviously, winning the Masters would probably be your highlight, but I was looking down your results from last year, I think you only missed one cut and after that your worst finish was 28th.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah.

Q. Is that something that you'll be able to repeat again? You talk about repeating wins might be hard enough; that's an amazing run.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, I was really consistent last year. I was in the mix in a lot of tournaments. That's what I'm trying to build my game around. I'm trying to build my game around consistency. Given my size and everything I'm never going to be a player that's going to overpower golf courses. I have to do if on consistency, course management, those kind of things. If I can keep doing that, I'll keep putting myself in contention and try to make my game more well rounded. But hopefully I can repeat that and even do better than that I think.

Vijay has been so consistent, he's been in the Top-10 in his last ten tournaments, if you ask him if he can keep that pace up, probably won't happen, but I'm sure he's convinced himself that he can. You know, he's worked really hard on his game. He's in his 40s and still going strong.

Q. Going into last season, what would have surprised you more; that you would have won two or three times or basically have a whole year inside the Top-30?

MIKE WEIR: I don't know. I felt like my game was going to be really consistent last year. I saw the signs going into the year that it was going to be a consistent year. I would say that the major was maybe more of a surprise than the consistency. But then again, you know the more times you're consistent, put yourself in that situation, you're going to sneak one out, one or two, and I was lucky enough to get three last year.

Q. You said you saw signs that you were going to be more consistent. Can you explain that? Is it a mental thing, is it a physical feeling that you have of knowing that you're going to be like that?

MIKE WEIR: It's a little bit of both. I think the second half of 2002, I did play pretty consistently. I didn't have any real high finishes, but I don't think I finished outside of the Top-25 in any of my last, maybe eight starts or something. I was hovering around doing some really good things. I didn't quite break through but I was right there. Then I had some time off to re-evaluate some things, but I felt my game was pretty solid so I felt like I was on track.

Q. One of the joys of being the defending champion here is you get to play in the celebrity field the next year. You've got some high-powered celebrities that you're playing with the next four days. Is that something that loosens you up, is it a distraction?

MIKE WEIR: I think it's going to be great. I'm looking forward to it. I get to play with -- tomorrow I play with Roger Clemens and Carson Daly. It's going to be a whole lot of fun. Roger, obviously I look up to, and he's a guy that's very mentally tough. I'm sure I'll be trying to pick his brain a little bit. You can relate different sports. I met George Lopez who is going to be playing. I met him at Bermuda Dunes. He seemed like a great guy. Seemed really excited about his game, excited to play.

It's fun. It's a fun chance to mingle with some people that are not just sports celebrities, but different celebrities and you get a chance to talk to them and see how they hand handle certain things. It's a nice change. It's a nice format.

Last year, I played well here, obviously won. I almost won Pebble, so I seem to do well in that kind of format.

Q. Finding some fun in the game is a theme that you went on last year, do you have to keep kind of reminding yourself of that; that the attitude that you had last year was important to you?

MIKE WEIR: It's kind of become even more natural to me. I'm having a lot more fun with my game last year and a half. I'm enjoying myself. I feel like I'm lucky. I'm lucky to be playing on the Tour. I had a great year last year. Grateful. I'm grateful for it. So I think that's why I'm having more fun.

TODD BUDNICK: Thank you very much, Mike and good luck this week.

End of FastScripts.