BOB HOPE CHRYSLER CLASSIC

February 2, 2003

Mike Weir

JOE CHEMYCZ: Welcome.

MIKE WEIR: Thanks.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Mike Weir, champion of the 2003 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Congratulations. Three birdies to finish and shoot 67. Just talk about what it is to win again.

MIKE WEIR: Well, it feels fantastic. As I said out there, I don't think I could have asked to play any better under these conditions. When it's blowing that hard, you have to just really concentrate on hitting the ball solid. I can't really remember mis-hitting a shot. I seemed to hit it right in the middle of the club face every shot today. That really negates the wind when you can really strike the ball solidly.

To finish like that with three birdies and win a tournament, it's pretty special, really special. I had a chance to -- when I won THE TOUR Championship two years ago to make a birdie in the first playoff hole and that was exciting - to make a putt and win a tournament. But to do it this way, the last three holes, make putts, that's pretty special.

JOE CHEMYCZ: What were your thoughts about catching Tim.

MIKE WEIR: Mentally was to play my game because it was playing so difficult out there. Right out of the gate, I had about a 6-foot putt for birdie and just burned the edge.

I birdied the second hole, the par 5. I hit it on the green in two. 2-putted from a long ways away.

I parred the third hole, the par 3. Then I played all the way through solidly. Had a good chance for birdie on 5 from about six feet and missed that one, too. I really need to stay patient at that point.

I made a nice putt on 7 for birdie, maybe a 20-foot putt from off the fringe.

Then the ninth hole, I hit a 5-wood off the tee downwind and hit 8-iron about 30 feet. That was my only bogey today. I ran my first putt by. That's when the greens started getting very, very fast, I felt like.

The first putt I hit on nine ran by about eight feet and I missed it coming back. So I made my first bogey there.

Then I birdied 11. I was in the green-side bunker in two. Hit it out to about a foot.

Then played solid all the way through the next few holes.

On 12 I hit a great putt to about ten feet and I missed it.

On 14, hit it within 15 feet.

15, I hit a little 9-iron that from my angle looked like it went right over the hole; I couldn't tell.

Of course, the last three, I hit 4-iron, it was blowing so hard. Normally, it's a 3-wood and a wedge. I hit a 4-iron on 16 and still only had 80 yards. Made about a nine-foot, 10-foot there.

17, hit a wedge to the right side of the green and rolled a long one in, maybe 40 feet at 18. I hit a good drive and I was on a pretty severe down slope and had to lay it up. Hit a nice wedge about eight feet and made that putt. So great finish.

JOE CHEMYCZ: What was your yardage at 18?

MIKE WEIR: 18, I had 85 yards. My tee shot, I had 210. It was on a severe downslope, and I really wanted to go for that. After birdieing 17, I wanted to knock it on in two on 18. Unfortunately, on both par 5s on the back nine, I was not able to do it because I was on a severe downslope, but it turned out well.

Q. Talk about the decision on 18 to lay up rather than go for it. Was it just not an option to go for it?

MIKE WEIR: It really wasn't. You know, could I stand there with maybe -- if I hit ten balls, I might be able to get one on the green, possibly. Even if I did get on the green, it would be right on the back because I was on such a downslope; the ball would be coming out so low and so hot, I would have to hit it so hard it would be on the back of the green.

But I felt if I could lay it up to 80 or 90 yards, my wedge shot is right into the wind, and I had the bank I could play into. And I had just as good a chance of making birdie from there than did I over the green.

The only option, really, was to lay up.

Q. After four rounds of pretty good conditions, you come out today and it's a lot windier. Is there anything in your mindset that makes you adjust to anything? Do you do anything differently on the range warming up?

MIKE WEIR: Not really. I guess I hit a few more punch shots, try to keep it low and try to keep my ball slightly down. I moved back in my stance a little bit to keep it down.

You didn't want to get anything up in the wind floating at all. Like I said, the key is just to hit the ball solid. That was my focus today, just to hit solid, solid golf shots - and I did.

Q. After you had to lay up on 18, did you think that Jay had a huge advantage at that point, being able to go for it?

MIKE WEIR: I thought he had it. He had an advantage, because I was on a nice, level lie. It's still a difficult shot into the wind, the way the wind was gusting.

From my angle it looked like he hit a pretty good shot. I don't know if it gusted a little extra or what, but when you're trying to win a tournament -- that was, I feel like, a no-decision for Jay there, either. It's a definite go from where he was. After I laid up, he's going for that off that lie.

It's unfortunate it came up like it did, because he played great today and he's a great guy. I really enjoyed the battle we had today.

Definitely, if I was in position, I would have been doing the same thing.

Q. At the end of last year, when you tried to plan this year, when you assessed last year, what conclusions did you come up with and what was your game plan for this year?

MIKE WEIR: Last year, I was just kind of trying to find a path to get better. I kind of went down the wrong road.

I was working on a bunch of things in my swing that were not panning out too good. You lose a little confidence here and there. I was trying to gain some consistency in my putting, but it went the other way. Everything I tried last year didn't seem to work.

Near the end of the year, I went back to my waggle. At the beginning of the year, I was not waggling the club like I do. I went back to that, and even though I didn't have any great finishes, I started playing much more solidly at the end of the year.

This off-season, I just wanted to work on my fundamentals more. I didn't practice a whole lot, but I did a lot of stuff indoors in front of mirrors - working on my grip, posture, those kind of things, and it's paid off.

The lack of playing has made me a little sharp mentally, just getting away from the game for a couple of months. I came out this year really renewed and refreshed.

Q. Is that at home in Provo?

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, in my basement, I stuck a cup in, when we were laying the foundation , into the foundation. So I have some pretty good carpet. I can putt down there and I have mirrors all the way around. I can check on things and work on things indoors.

Q. Three walls and mirrors?

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, and that actually works well for me. When I was playing college golf at Brigham Young, we had an indoor facility. I won three college golf tournaments, and they were always the first tournament after the winter break because I would stay and just hit balls 40 and 50 yards, worked on my fundamentals. And first few years I was there, first tournament, I won. So that seems to work well for me.

Q. You mentioned the Canadian contingent in the gallery. When did you first notice you were a crowd favorite and how does it make you feel?

MIKE WEIR: Oh, it makes me feel great. The fans were great for everybody, but they were cheering hard for me. It kind of pulled me along the last few holes.

You know, there are so many Canadians that winter down here, it's such a great place. I'm glad they all came out to support me.

Q. Next week you get to play with Wayne Gretzky.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, not a bad week. I'm looking forward to that. I've had a chance to play with him a couple of times in his charity event in Canada in the summer and gotten to know him a little bit.

He's a great guy, a great ambassador for the game of hockey - and sports in generally. As a kid, I looked up to him. So to have I chance to play with him, we're looking forward to it. We're going to have a fun time next week.

Q. When you're out on 16 and watching what Tim was going through, what's going out through your minds?

MIKE WEIR: It's tough. I've been there. Jay has been playing a long time, he's been there. I still wanted to be focused on my putt, even though it was taking a while. I felt horrible for Tim. He's a good guy, and he got himself back into it with that eagle on 14.

That's golf. You play this game long enough, unfortunately, those things happen sometimes. And unfortunately, it happened for Tim. Yeah, I felt sick for him.

Q. Is winning so early this year after last year, does that change the way you look at the rest of the season?

MIKE WEIR: I think maybe if I -- once I have time to digest it all and look at any schedule, it may alter some things a little bit.

I still don't think so. I still have some goals that I want to accomplish this year, and this is a step in the right direction.

Q. What's your mental set when Jay is ready to hit that shot on 18, do you try to stay as neutral as possible? Are you anticipating anything at all?

MIKE WEIR: You run through both scenarios in your mind. If he happens to stuff it in there, maybe I might have to try to hole out the shot, who knows. You just kind of wait to see how it turns out and then go from there.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Mike, congratulations.

MIKE WEIR: Thank you.

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