BELL CANADIAN OPEN

September 4, 2002

Mike Weir

JOHN BUSH: We'd like to welcome Mike Weir. Mike, I know you've had a chance to play the course, if you could tell us your thoughts on that and how it feels to be here at the Bell Canadian Open.

MIKE WEIR: Absolutely. This is my National Championship for the year. This is something I really look forward to every year. The golf course is in perfect shape. I'm just doing the whole golf family and RCGA and everybody has put a great tournament together so far from what I've seen. It's going to be a great week.

Q. Your thoughts on the golf course? There's been a lot of debate, if that's the word, that it is a course that was set up the way other PGA TOUR courses are, in terms of width of the fairways, and do you think it's going to yield high scores, low scores? What's your sense?

MIKE WEIR: There's a possibility there could be some low scores out here, but every time I've played here, the wind really blows and it's a big factor out there, especially as the tournament goes on, the greens get a little firmer, a little faster, a little crustier. There are shots that stuck Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday that don't get so close.

Wait and see how it pans out. But I don't think -- I haven't heard what guys are saying. I don't know if they are saying it's easy, but -- I've played easier. I don't think it's going to be that by the end of the week.

Q. (Inaudible.)

MIKE WEIR: They will set some good pins out there, absolutely. There's plenty of spots to put some really good pins out there. If you go at some of them, miss them in the wrong spots, No. 10, there's just a number of positions where you can place it, 20, 30, 40 feet. If you play at a tough pin, which it comes Saturday, Sunday, it can hop off the green, and the rough is thick, even around the green, it's a little nasty.

You can't take any golf course lightly in any tournament, as far as I'm concerned. You have to be well aware of the little nuances of the golf course, especially on the greens, and I think there are quite a few.

Q. Your thoughts, 48 years a Canadian has never won this tournament, and you have a fairly decent field this year. Your thoughts on the field of Canadians and if this is the year?

MIKE WEIR: Well, yes. I think it's a very good field again. Unfortunate that a few guys pulled out, but I feel like we have a really good field.

As far as Canadians go, I think there's a lot more in the field this year than in the years past, and I think guys with more confidence in their game, not only for the guys that are on the Tour, the other guys that are on the Tour with me, but the guys coming off the Canadian Tour have had a good season out there.

I played with three of them the other day, three young guys the other day on Monday. All of the young guys now hit it long and are confident in themselves. It would be a perfect week for them, if not to win, to just have a good week and get experience.

As far as myself, and I'm sure Ian has confidence in his ability, but I feel like I have as good a chance as anybody. I haven't been playing very well, but I still feel like I'm really close. I'm hitting the ball really solid and I feel it's just a matter of time. So this would be a perfect week to do it.

Q. You said you are not playing very well. When you look at that, what do you see? What are the components of that?

MIKE WEIR: I can just tell by my control and how I feel over the ball, my distance control. A lot of my iron shots finish pin-high. They might not be right on the pin, but 20 feet. My distance control is really good. That's one aspect.

My driving is really good. I haven't been making a whole lot of putts, but I feel like I'm burning the edge and just really close to feeling good about it, how I'm rolling the ball. I think all of those components, now, it's just putting it all together.

Q. How much attention do you pay to stats, World Rankings? Do you ever look over your shoulder at all and say, "You know what, I've got to get on my horse here; I'm going to lose some stature," in terms of some of the things you've been able to do the last couple of years?

MIKE WEIR: I do look at those things to some degree, but those are just added things that I don't need to worry about when I'm playing.

Obviously, I want to get on my horse, so to speak, as you said, to play for myself because I have not been happy with the way I've been playing for myself. That's more of a motivating factor than anything, than jumping up the World Rankings.

All of those things will take care of themselves if I just play well. That's all I'm trying to do. I'm not happy if I move up -- and I feel good about my game, if I'm doing it for myself, I'm playing better.

Q. You probably see stay at home with the family more than the average PGA TOUR player. Has there been a moment in the last year where you've sort of looked at maybe want to go develop a little momentum, where you've looked back and questioned, "Maybe should I have stayed out a couple weeks to see if I could get something going?"

MIKE WEIR: I don't think so. I think I play at least as -- I don't know what the TOUR average for number of events is for the average TOUR guy, but I think I play at least as many or maybe more than most guys.

No way. Golf is a game. My kids are what's -- when I'm not around, that's what's important and I don't ever want to lose sight of that. That's No. 1. There's no questions about that.

Q. You mentioned young up-and-coming players. Ian Leggatt just said that he thought that the young Canadians were not advertised enough at a tournament like this. Obviously, they advertise you, being a successful PGA TOUR player. Do you think the RCGA should do more advertising of Canadian players coming into an event like this?

MIKE WEIR: I don't know if advertising would do anything. I think they have to make a name for themselves and keep working hard and keep doing what they are doing.

As far as advertising them, I don't -- I don't know. I really can't answer that question. I think that there are some things that the RCGA is doing. Can they do more? Probably. I'm is sure at some point, I'll talk with a few of the guys and I have a few suggestions that maybe could help, maybe not, I don't know.

But I think they are doing a good job and they are moving in the right direction with their development. It's a step in the right direction what they are doing, and hopefully, we can keep pushing forward. You are seeing that with some of the young guys coming up, obviously. So I think it's getting better.

Q. Your own game, when you're out there, how much are you fighting to get back what you know you have, and how much do you have to just let it come to you?

MIKE WEIR: I think it's a balance, a little bit of both. You just try to work on the same things that you've had success with and then let them happen on the golf course. That's probably -- it's an easy thing to say, but sometimes a tough thing to do. You just try to let go on the golf course and just let it happen and just play. That's what I've been fighting a little bit, trying to be -- probably trying to be too perfect. This is not a game that you can control, and that's all I've been trying to control maybe a little too much instead of just letting it happen.

Q. You mentioned your experience, playing on Monday with the World Amateur guys, what was your experience as an amateur around their stage? Do you kind of envy them, the exposure; that they have been able to play internationally, is this something you wish you had earlier in your career that would have made a difference?

MIKE WEIR: I think probably. As you said, letting that team in, letting some of the young guys get experience. But I have no complaints about my junior career and amateur career. I think the RCGA was good to me in giving me spots and opportunities. I think they are doing a good job with the young guy, letting them have the opportunity now.

As far as trying to get their exposure out there, I think they really need to do that on their own. I think it's a real delicate balance. I don't think you want to push a guy out there when he's not ready for it and throw him in the spotlight. I don't think that's the way to do it. I think he's got to do it on his own, and from my experience, I think that's the best way to do it.

Q. (Inaudible.)

MIKE WEIR: I really like -- they seem to be studying the golf course, trying to get a game plan. They were not just standing there and ripping it without really paying attention to what they were doing. They really had good touch, good short game, good technique.

So I guess the guys in the RCGA have been watching their instruction. It looks very solid. A lot of the young guys look very comparable to some of the other guys, like a Brigham Young (ph), some college guys and there's couple Canadians down there, too and they all hit it long now and have good technique, and I think they are right along those same lines.

Q. It's been a few years now that the RCGA has mandated to move the Open. What's the response of the Tour players are they in favor of that?

MIKE WEIR: I think the Tour guys are in favor of that, moving it around. I think most of the guys generally believe -- they don't take it as a regular event. They know it is a National Championship and they really hold the event in a little higher regard than most of the other tournaments.

Guys I talk to, they enjoy when it's moved around. They enjoyed Montreal last year, and they obviously love coming to Toronto here. I think they enjoy moving it around.

Q. When you and Wills (ph) get together for a session, are you guys doing a lot of -- is it still back to fundamental work, and most of it, is it timing now? What do you work on when you get together?

MIKE WEIR: My coach and I? Yeah, at Tour events we just check fundamentals. We check basic things: My grip, posture, alignment, just check all of those things because I don't want to get technical at a tournament.

My off-season time, we might work on a few things we need to change. But for the most part at an event, we just try to -- he kind of watches my routine and process and sees how things are going that way and see if things are quicker and slower, just little things.

Q. Could you in a few words sort of capsulize your Canadian Open history and what struggles or otherwise you've had at this tournament? And also, just sort of talk about the golf courses, and is that also a reason you would not mind seeing it move around a little bit?

MIKE WEIR: Well, I think obviously it's well documented. I was not a big fan of Glen Abbey. I didn't have much success there. But I haven't had much success in the Open. I had a little breakthrough, kind of making some cuts the last couple years, which is a step in the right direction, from the way it went in the past.

It's probably a little bit of my own expectations, probably trying a little too hard. A lot of thing going on and really trying to get focused. So I think as I get older, I'm getting better at that. I think hopefully my game will show that this week and in the future.

I just hope the young guys that are coming off the Canadian tour, it is such a big event -- we play on the Canadian Tour, and no disrespect to that tour at all, but you're playing for that amount of money and then this amount of money on the Tour and the National Championship, you almost get over geared up for it and almost practice too hard. So that would be my advice to those guys, just kind of take it like a normal event. It's easy to say -- but from my experience, that's how I -- that's the way I felt about it. I was so excited about it, just system overload by the time the tournament started.

Q. What sort of things did you learn out there today in your Pro-Am that you'll take with you starting tomorrow?

MIKE WEIR: It was a good day to play today because when I played Monday, the wind was blowing in a little different direction. Today was blowing pretty much opposite, so I got to see the golf course kind of two different ways.

So I could kind of adjust my game plan according. I've seen the way the ball is going to react and how far I can carry certain drives, and got to check out the greens a little more.

I think the approach shots are the key to the golf course, putting yourself on the right side of the hole. Par 3s are really good out here. That's another aspect -- you need to play the par 3s pretty well because most guys are going to birdie the par 5s, the majority of them, but the par 3s are pretty difficult, especially with the wind blowing, that's 3-irons, 4-irons -- those are tough greens.

Q. (Inaudible.)

MIKE WEIR: 12, I hit 5-iron the other day, and today I ripped a 3-iron and barely got it to the front.

My amateur got a hole-in-one today, John. He got a hole-in-one today on 12, 3-wood. John Douma (ph); that was a thrill. First one.

Q. You talked about system overload coming into the Canadian Open in previous years. Doing this kind of thing and the many other obligations that you would have now, do you have to be more vigilant in managing your own time and making sure that you do the things that you need to do to get ready for any tournament?

MIKE WEIR: Well, sure. I have to make sure my plans are planned out a little bit better. It's not a system overload anymore, really -- on with different expectations and what the week is going to be all about. I was just saying -- relating to the younger guys when I was on the Canadian Tour, how much of a bigger event this was.

But absolutely, you have to be prepared for a lot more signing autographs and a lot more time -- I still have to find time to work on my game and get ready. It's not a problem. I've got it all taken care of.

Q. We've had a lot of different styles of putting come to the fore, what do you think of them and have you experimented with some of them?

MIKE WEIR: I have not. I don't see a problem with trying anything like that. Whatever works to get the ball in the hole to make a score.

I still don't feel like that's the answer for me. I know I'm a good putter. Two years ago, I was eighth in putting or something. It's just a matter of getting my mental frame in the right frame of mind to make putts. That's just really freeing my mind up of expectation and just letting it happen.

Q. When players change a grip, obviously it takes a while to get comfortable, have you achieved a comfort zone with the TaylorMades that you had last year, when you won with the Hogans?

MIKE WEIR: Absolutely. My stats do show that. I'm driving it better, hitting more greens, playing par 3s better, a lot better, which means better iron play, obviously. It's not the clubs.

Q. Long-term prospects for professional golf in Canada based on sponsorship, the Canadian Tour seems to be moving a little more south of the border than maybe a lot of us would like to see. What are your thoughts? And plus the fact, too, Bell is going to have to renew at some point around 2007 or 2008. There's issues out there; do you think?

MIKE WEIR: As far as the Canadian Tour, I don't know their issues, what their direction is going. I don't know the new Commissioner. So I can't really give you a good answer on that.

I think golf in Canada as a whole is just really healthy. I think, as I said, a lot of the young guys are coming up and making the game more exciting. These guys are going to be on the PGA TOUR for a long time. So I think the women's game has been healthy from a players perspective for a while. They have had a lot of players out there and they have done well and I think the men's game is moving in the right direction. So I see golf in Canada being very healthy.

Sponsorship-wise, I don't sit in on those meetings, so I don't really know. I don't even want to speculate or give an answer on that, really.

JOHN BUSH: Thank you for coming by and we wish you a lot of luck this week.

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