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MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 6, 2004

Mike Weir

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA

BILLY PAYNE: Ladies and gentlemen, we'd like to welcome Mike Weir back to Augusta National. Of course, Mike is our defending champion making his fifth appearance.

Mike, we are delighted to have you back.

Ladies and gentlemen, questions, please.

Q. How have things changed for you over last April to this April?

MIKE WEIR: Well, you know, even though I think coming into the Masters last year, I had had a lot of success early in the year but I was still under the radar going into the Masters last year. You know, this year is a little different that way, for sure. That's one big difference this week, especially.

So, yeah, it's a little different. Just preparing a little bit differently. Last year with the rain, you know, we were not able to get as many practice rounds in and as much time on the course as what I needed. But this year we got a full three days of practice.

Q. And just to follow on that, how has that changed, if it has, your goals and setting targets for the year, having now won that Masters? Has it changed anything?

MIKE WEIR: No. My goals as a player are just to become a more complete player, more consistent player and a more consistent contender in big championships as the Masters is.

I was able to do that for most of the year after the Masters last year. I was in contention at the U.S. Open and the PGA. I'll hopefully put myself back in there again this week and just try to chip away at my weaknesses, as we all are out here, trying to get better. You know, last year did give me a lot of confidence, definitely moving forward, that I was able to handle a lot of pressure and come through.

Q. I would assume that you didn't have caribou Tuesday of last tournament week. Do you have any idea what you might have had Tuesday last year? And what are your expectations for the dinner tonight?

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, I can't remember what I had. My memory's not that good.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I have a friend that is a long time buddy of mine that is a chef at Sarnia and has his own restaurant that I asked him to help put together the menu for this evening. Everybody I've talked to, the former champions, I think are excited to try it. I know my buddy, Al, who is putting everything together is a little nervous and excited, as well as I am. To be in the room with all of those great champions and get to rub elbows with them and trade a few stories, it's going to be a special night, something I'll always remember, my first time.

Q. Are there any former Masters champs that you've never really met and looking forward to meeting?

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, there's quite a few well, not quite a few, but a few. I had not met Doug Ford and he's my locker mate up there. I met him yesterday.

Who else, trying to think of a few others. There's a few in there. I met Bob Goalby yesterday, as well. Some of the names that just weren't from, close to my era, that are still around. I met Byron Nelson obviously at his tournament. It will just be great to be around Arnold palmer and Jack Nicklaus, guys who have meant so much to this tournament and helped it grow to the stature it's at now. It will be fun tonight.

Q. Maybe not so much how different this year has been since you won here last year, but how much more enjoyable a year has it been because you've gotten to participate in things you would not have been able to participate otherwise had you not won?

MIKE WEIR: Well, I think the one thing, yeah, that I'm not able to participate in was probably the dinner. That's the main thing, this evening, that everybody else

Q. Grand Slam?

MIKE WEIR: Well, that, as well. I think that was a nice bonus at the end of last year to be able to play in.

So, yeah, those are nice other things to play in, for sure.

Q. Was there ever a moment after you won where you had to sort of think, well, what do I do next, how do I top this? Goal setting is obviously a big part of what you do.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, but I've never been really a performance setting goal person. I think it's going to be tough to top that, but I think, you know, there's still a lot of things out there that I want to accomplish. You know, winning more of them, I think, more than anything is at the top of my list.

This was a big accomplishment, for me to win last year, under the circumstances and the way it all panned out Sunday. Like I said, I'm just trying to take that forward into when I get in those situations again where maybe I didn't have that experience before of drawing on that to win.

Q. As good as your year was last year, is there any part of you that's disappointed at how close you came in the other majors and were not able to get over the hump; that could have been an extraordinary year as opposed to just a great one?

MIKE WEIR: Oh, sure. You can look back at a number of shots through certain weeks like the U.S. Open and PGA, but that's just the nature of the game. I haven't really sat back and thought I was disappointed, but I was excited that I was in contention on those and know that my game is versatile enough to compete in all of the majors.

Q. Not overstating the obvious, but you've had success lately, on and off the golf course, the Utah Golf Hall of Fame, that sort of thing. A lot of athletes are uncomfortable, but you seem to embrace it and enjoy it. My wife said after the banquet you're actually very good at it. Has it been hard for to you adjust to that or are you really enjoying it as much as you appear to?

MIKE WEIR: Well, it does take a little bit of adjusting. I'm a pretty low key guy. I come from a small town in Canada. So I think, you know, the timing is right. I think I'm at the age now that I'm able to embrace that and feel comfortable with it where maybe five, six, ten years ago, it might have been a little bit overwhelming.

I think just the experience of being out here for a number of years, having a lot of great examples to use, to draw from, and you watch the way Arnold Palmer and Nick Prices of the word, Mark O'Mearas, the way these guys handle themselves, you just learn from guys like that.

Q. Kind of a souvenir thing, what's your favorite souvenir, if you will, of The Masters? What do you have that you like that reminds you? And what happened to the golf ball after you putted the golf ball? You never took it out of the hole; what happened to the ball?

MIKE WEIR: Brendan grabbed it and I have it in a little case at home. I'm trying to collect every tournament that I won; I try to collect a golf ball and mark it on there and keep track of it. So I have that one and it's in a special little spot.

Favorite souvenir well, the trophy is special (Laughter). Can't deny that. It's a beautiful silver trophy replica of the clubhouse. I don't know if you've seen it. Everybody who played in the tournament last year's name is shrunken down and engraved, not just the name but the actual signature of the person around the exterior of the trophy. It's really a beautiful trophy. That's probably the best thing I have.

Q. I wanted to talk to you about the question you've already answered. In terms of the awards and accolades that you've received in Canada, you're considered a hero and icon in Canada. Today there were a lot of Canadian flags and people cheering you on. You are a shy guy; how much pressure is that for to you try to concentrate on golf and be representing a nation at the same time?

MIKE WEIR: Well, you know I guess what I try to do is when I'm playing golf, when I'm inside the ropes, I try to just do my business out there. I think if I thought of that, I wouldn't probably perform very well.

But, at the same time, I think golf is known. It's a great sports country, for sure, and known for a lot of hockey, but it's also very passionate about golf. Everybody, when the snow melts, is excited to get on the golf course and especially excited to watch the Masters.

I remember as a kid, you know, the brief commercials that were on, running outside and trying to putt for a few minutes, right back inside to watch every shot. Canadians are very passionate about golf and I'm lucky enough to have won this tournament and I think just everybody from the years I played the Canadian Tour maybe got to know me a little bit better playing across Canada for five or six years and maybe just kept up on what I was doing and kind of gone from there.

Q. What's this week been like already for you, coming back here as defending champion? Has it been like you thought it would be, maybe more fans asking for autographs and so on?

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, it's been busy. It started a couple weeks ago coming back with a friend of mine, George Roberts and my dad, and had Brendan playing and got to play the golf course. It was playing fast even then a couple of weeks ago. Just reminiscing some shots I had last year with my dad and having a chance to spend that time with him, and that's when it all started coming back to me and started getting really ready, and coming in here Sunday night and registering, signing my name at the top of the list. They save your spot for you at the top, which was kind of nice.

It's been fun. People, they give you a nice applause when you get on to the range, which I've always noticed that in the years past they do that for all of the former champions when they walk onto the range. It's a nice touch.

Q. The fact that you have not played the fast few weeks as well as you'd like to, is there a little bit of buildup?

MIKE WEIR: I think possibly I've been putting a little too much pressure on myself, maybe trying to swing too good and make everything too perfect, and maybe I've been doing that a little bit because I've been working hard. It's struck me as odd that I have not played well because I have done a lot of work to kind of get ready. Hopefully it will all pay off this week and I can put it all together.

Q. The confidence that you take out of winning last year, is it strictly because you won a major at Augusta National, no less, or is it because of the way you won, talking 15 through 18 mostly?

MIKE WEIR: I think a little bit of both, but I think more the way I won, with Len being out in front, seeing the leaderboard on 13, knowing that I had to do some things coming in, that I needed to make the putt on 13, that I needed to make a birdie coming in and make some big putts to stay in it.

When you're the only guy kind of left on the golf course, you can feel that and everybody else is done and you're the only guy left with a chance. So that really gave me probably more confidence than when I have stretched the lead out when I had a five or six shot lead and I won by that, I would not have gained maybe as much as I did last year.

Q. If you could explain how the pressure on the back nine here is different than when you've kind of gone into quasi contention at the other two U.S. majors?

MIKE WEIR: Well, I think, one, there's just such tradition at this place, at Augusta National. For myself, you've watched as a kid, I've watched Jack Nicklaus come through and shoot 30 on the back nine. You've seen all of the different scenarios pan out on the back nine. When you're in that situation yourself, you hear the roars and you hear everything, everything echoes around out there, it's just a different feel. I don't know how to explain it.

It's a much different feel than any other tournament there is. That's what makes it so special.

Q. Back to the dinner, is there anything distinctively Canadian on the menu tonight?

MIKE WEIR: I think pretty much everything is.

Q. Like what is it?

MIKE WEIR: Elks, a unique thing in Canada. We are getting lobster from the East Coast for some appetizer. I don't want to run through the whole menu, but he has everything from across the country pretty much. I think it's been well documented that there will be a little Canadian beer there, too.

Q. Your putting last year was obviously do you consider yourself one of the top putters out here? And donating a wedge to the club, how critical was your wedge play in getting to victory?

MIKE WEIR: My wedge play was really on last year and saved me a number of shots and made me a number of birdies on the par 5s. I didn't really dominate the par 5s by reaching them in two or 2 putting or making eagles. I did it by playing smart and using my wedge. That's why I donated that club, because I thought it really throughout the week was a key factor.

My putting, to answer your first question, I think when I'm on with my putting, I'm as good a putter as there is probably. I've just got to make it a little bit more consistent.

Q. Tiger talked about he got out of his game plan on the third hole. Do you have a game plan for that or do you just approach it differently every day?

MIKE WEIR: I have a game plan for the golf course pretty much that I stick to unless I need to maybe do something on Sunday and take a little more aggressive road.

It all depends on maybe some of the par 5s; if I hit a good enough tee shot then I can be aggressive. And if I don't, well, my miss out there isn't going to be far enough out there that I can maybe be aggressive with my second shot, or maybe some of the longer guys if they miss a little bit, they can reach the greens.

My game plan is pretty much set, and I try to stick to that.

Q. You mentioned earlier about how Canadians are passionate about golf but more passionate about hockey, and you are pretty passionate about it yourself. Can you give us your analysis of the playoffs this year and how they might help you get away at times?

MIKE WEIR: You want my analysis of the playoffs? Wow. (Laughter.) I don't know. It's too early to predict. There's a lot of teams that are right there. We'll see, the Ottawa Toronto series, that's going to be a battle right out of the gate.

Q. You talked earlier about how you were under the radar prior to winning. Looking at Tiger and the kind of scrutiny he is under in his game, can you talk about how difficult you think that could be to live with, and there seems to be the perception he's not playing very well out there, even the last couple years, even though he won five tournaments last year. What's your impression of that, as well?

MIKE WEIR: Well, my impression is, yeah, that would be hard to deal with because I think we all know how difficult the game is. It always has its ebbs and flows, and no matter who you are, you can't stay right at the very top week in and week out. He's done it better than anybody. The game is just a little tougher opponent than any player that's ever come.

It's always going come out on top. You just have to persevere through when you're not playing your best. Even when he's not playing his best, he can still win tournaments. He'll figure it out. We all go through stretches whether it's a couple of weeks or a month or whatever. Might be just one week he's not playing too well. I know he's probably not that far off.

Q. How does this course set up for a left handed golfer, and your friend, the chef, what is his name?

MIKE WEIR: Alistair MacKay, the first part.

It sets up well for anybody who can shape the ball right to left. I have to hit a fade and you have to hit predominately a lot of draws off the tees. You have to have a deft short game around the greens. You have to lag putt well. You have to be creative with your pitching and chipping, and especially this week, as fast as the greens are and as firm as they are, you can hit good shots and they are going to catch slopes and they are going to run away and you have to be real patient about that. You can hit a shot down at the flag and it looks great and can end up off the green and down the slope and 50 yards away from the pin.

Q. Is it an advantage or disadvantage to be left handed here?

MIKE WEIR: It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter.

Q. With all of the intensity and the scrutiny, playing with Fred Couples today, seemed like you were having a good time out there?

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, Fred is great to play with. He's so relaxed. I like watching the rhythm of his swing. He's got the same rhythm since he's been on the TOUR pretty much, all his life, so it's fun to play with him.

Q. Have you seen Len Mattiace much to talk to over the past 12 months, and does that Sunday ever come up; and what do you think about the way he played that Sunday last year?

MIKE WEIR: I haven't seen Len a whole lot. Actually my first tournament back last year was down the road in North Carolina at Wachovia and we got paired together the first two rounds. There wasn't much to be said. We talked a little bit right after the tournament a couple days after. I just told him that he played great, which he did. He just congratulated me and, like I said, he played a tremendous round. I mean, he played as good as you can play out here under those conditions. The golf course was playing so long, to shoot 65, and make the putts he did and to hole out shots, couldn't ask to play much better.

Q. By all accounts, the course is playing very firm and fast, and I'm sure you've seen that and you're going to tell us that, but has it occurred to you that with the positive reinforcement you've had from last year's win and the mush and the wet, that you might have to throw away some of what you learned last year to be a contender this year?

MIKE WEIR: Not really. The golf course, you still the only difference is that your short side mistakes are really going to be accentuated. Last year, if you short side yourself with as much rain as we had, the greens were soft enough that you could maybe get the ball up and down from the wrong side of the hole. This year you're not going to really have that option. You're going to have to be on the correct side of the hole and that's always been my philosophy around this place and it even applies more now. So I think it even reinforces my belief in my game plan and everything even more now.

Q. Nobody has ever parlayed a par 3 title to a green jacket the same year, do you think that's coincidence or curse or just try to make good shots come?

MIKE WEIR: I don't know. It's odd that somebody has not won it, won both, but it's in the back of your mind, if you're three 4 under on No. 9 (laughter) and that pin is in that easy spot and you don't want to spin one back on the hole.

I think guys think about it. It's talked about a lot.

BILLY PAYNE: Mike, we're proud to have you as our champion. Good luck this week.

End of FastScripts.

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