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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 17, 2004

Mike Weir

SHINNECOCK HILLS, NEW YORK

MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, joining us on the podium now at 1-under par for the championship, Mike Weir.

Q. A bit of a shaky start out there but a couple birdies on your back nine. Not a bad way to close out the back.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, I played well. You're not going to play mistake-free golf in this tournament. I made a couple early but I did pretty good, kept plodding along and stayed patient and birdied both the par 5s, which helps, and snuck one out on 7 there.

Q. How much did the course change after the rain, any significant differences?

MIKE WEIR: Not anything significant. I think the shot probably played a little longer on 7 and 8 and 9 played a little longer probably, but not a whole lot different.

The greens may have been a little bit softer and maybe a little slower. I left my last putt a little short there, a little moisture on the green.

Q. (Inaudible).

MIKE WEIR: I was a little better than that. I may have missed a few. I know I was in the first cut probably three or four times, so I may have only hit seven fairways, but the other ones were real close. For me it seemed like I had a lot of birdie chances. I had to scramble some, which you're going to do, but I had a lot of birdie chances and that's a nice sign around here.

Q. Is this the kind of event that's maybe best to build into a little bit? Obviously you'd love to shoot 62, but is it kind of nice maybe a steady progression is the way to go?

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, that would be nice. That seems to have always been my game, kind of creep up a little bit as the week goes on, and hopefully I'll play a little bit better tomorrow and keep hitting it solid.

I'm starting to play a little better than what I have the last couple months, so I'm looking forward to getting out there tomorrow and hopefully the wind will be down and we'll have some nice greens tomorrow morning.

Q. Are you feeling confident with the putter right now?

MIKE WEIR: I'm feeling comfortable with pretty much everything. I didn't make a whole lot, but I made a couple. The key is to not make any big mistakes out there. When you make a mistake you have to take your medicine. You can hopefully sneak it in for par and if not take your bogey and move on. I made a nice save for bogey on 11, hit the bunker and almost holed that shot. If you stay away from the big numbers you're kind of still in the ballgame.

Q. Is it hard to play your own game when the guys you're with are struggling like that?

MIKE WEIR: Sometimes it can be a little more difficult, but I didn't feel like the guys were playing that bad. It's just such a -- they missed a few at the wrong time. You get in a bad spot out there, it gets difficult, but it didn't look to me like they were playing that bad. It wasn't like they were all over the place or anything. Mike was hitting it right down the middle on almost every hole but he couldn't make a putt today.

Q. (Inaudible).

MIKE WEIR: I hit a 5-iron in there.

Q. How long was it?

MIKE WEIR: Probably 15, 20 feet maybe, right underneath the hole. That was the difference. When I was standing up there it was definitely a 6-iron and then after the rain and the heavy air it turned into a 5-iron.

Q. Everyone was complaining about that green, that you couldn't hold the green.

MIKE WEIR: I think the rain softened it up. It only did land a yard on the green but I still think it would have been past the hole without the rain.

Q. Were you a little anxious with two bogeys right out of the gate a little bit?

MIKE WEIR: Not really. The tendency is to want to get anxious and get it back right away. I was lucky enough to get one back the next hole, but that's what tests you in a U.S. Open, tests your patience and it tries to tempt you into taking some chances. As long as you take some smart chances, you'll be okay, but if you start firing at some of these flags and going over the back and ending up in some spots, scores will add up in a hurry.

Q. How long was that putt on 15? I think it was 15 you just left it on the lip.

MIKE WEIR: I'm trying to think. I'm sorry, I'm drawing a blank. I can't remember that hole. Oh, yeah, that was probably maybe 18 feet. I left it right on the lip there.

Q. Birdie putt on 12?

MIKE WEIR: 12 was pretty close. Actually I was probably 10 feet, maybe a little closer.

Q. A bit sultry out there today. Obviously firm and dry this morning and then the rains came in but not much wind to speak of. Is this about as forgiving as this course can be?

MIKE WEIR: I think so. We haven't seen it really play how it's going to play. I think Tuesday was a little bit more like the USGA would want to see it, and I think we're going to see some of that as the week goes on with some 20 plus mile an hour winds, and that's when the course will show its teeth.

Q. What was the visibility like on 8 and 9 for you?

MIKE WEIR: We were commenting coming up 9 that this will be it. We could tell that they were going to blow the siren. As we were walking up No. 9 we could barely see the green, let alone the flag. I had a 155-yard shot in there and could barely see the pin.

End of FastScripts.

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