GENUITY CHAMPIONSHIP

March 3, 2001

Mike Weir

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, it's a position I want to be. I happen to have the lead, I just wanted to start it today, being a couple back, I wanted to keep touching and, hopefully, you know, be in the lead and, you know, it was a good scoring day for me. It wasn't the kind of day that I was hoping for as far as the way I was -- wanted to strike the ball. I struggled a little bit that way, but again, my scoring and my short game was very good. That is, just shows I guess that when your game is off a little bit, have a good round like that, I am very pleased with it. That is for sure.

MIKE WEIR: It was hard work. At times I hit a lot of good shots, but other times I hit a few squirly ones. I just went to the range right now. I think hopefully I have it corrected and will be in good shape tomorrow. The past few days yeah, I haven't struck the ball quite as solidly, and playing with Hal tomorrow, who is one of the best ball strikers out here, you know, I am going to need to play a little bit better than I did today, hopefully at least I will score as well as I did today. But, I feel like I am going to have to play little bit better and I think I will.

MIKE WEIR: Well, I think a little bit was just my posture, little bit getting off just some fundamentals I -- overall I think I drove the ball pretty well. Had a couple of shots off-line with the driver. For the most part I drove it in the fairway, but my iron-play wasn't very good at all. I think I was just getting a little slouchy over the ball, little bit sloppy; just wanted to correct that a little bit.

MIKE WEIR: With the wind, it was whipping around, it was difficult out there, Doug. It was very difficult. Wind was blowing hard and gusting, and I had to back off a few times when I get over the shot and had it figured out and that it would gust a little bit harder and I had to change clubs a few times when I was ready to hit the shot; so, it played tough.

MIKE WEIR: No. Made nice 50-footer on the very first hole with one, and I have probably done it a couple of times putted with it. The second one on No. 7 was right against that collar, pretty thick right behind it. Couldn't get the putter on it.

MIKE WEIR: Oh, yeah, I was very happy. I hit through those the first stretch of holes. I was hitting the ball very solidly, gave myself some chances. I think 3, 4, 5, are kind of difficult, tricky holes, and to get through all those holes are, you know, even par is okay. Making that shot on the first hole obviously puts you in a good frame of mind. You know, that is kind of what happened the other day, I made birdie on the first hole, holed that shot. On 3 I kind of kept it going from there when I shot 62, and today in those conditions, got me off to a good start. I did make a couple of mistakes, but still ended up with a good score on that; first hole obviously helped.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, when you are not playing particularly well, a striking -- 18th hole is difficult enough, so I really stand in there and trust myself on those two shots and I was really glad to hit those two. Best iron shot I hit all day. Good time to do.

MIKE WEIR: I could barely see the top of the flag, yeah.

MIKE WEIR: It is a bit of a luck there, you have got to use your imagination, yeah, just came off perfectly, especially out of the lie that I had you are not sure how it is going to come out.

MIKE WEIR: Tree was little in my way. That is why it was a little bit right just enough that I had to play it just right of the hole. Came right about eight feet, made it.

MIKE WEIR: No, righthanded player would have been able to play exactly the same.

MIKE WEIR: 11 I hit 3-iron and sand wedge to about six feet, then 12 I hit two big shots good drive and 3-wood from about two 80 yards. Carried on the front of green rolled over in the back bunker right, about two feet out of the bunker. Then 13 you know, I pulled a 3-wood with the wind really went to the right. I made a great up-and-down made 8-footer. And then hit one of the poorest shots of the day. Obviously hit good drive on 14. I just -- it was in between 8 and 9-iron, tried to force 9-iron in there and I pulled it off, bit of a sideslope lie and wasn't the place to miss it obviously. Plenty of green to the left. That was a bad mistake. And 15 I bogeyed, I thought I hit a really good shot. I was in between 6 and 7-iron, had 7-iron out, went back to a 6; eased off, the wind gusted a little bit, hit the bank, rolled back in. Hit a good bunker shot from where I hit, was sloping away. Missed probably about a 10-foot putt. Then I drove it right in the divot on the very next hole. And hit a good shot out of there to about 20 feet. 17 hit another good drive, 8-iron maybe 15 feet behind the hole, 18 feet behind the hole. Then 18, hit a drive and 5-iron to four feet. Finish was good, I was happy with the way I started striking it near the end.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, just came out of there perfect. I could just tell -- first-- when it first left the 5-wood I thought it was maybe a little hard, but it was into the mind -- it's amazing how much the wind affects the balls even on the greens I could see it slowing down probably the last 25 feet and I knew it was just on perfect a line. It was a matter if it just didn't hit anything, I could -- for some reason I just saw that really well.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, it was just in the rough. I kind of putted it out with a 5-wood.

MIKE WEIR: No. 1? Probably 50 feet maybe. Pin was on the front. I was over in the back of the rough.

MIKE WEIR: Wedge in the first day and yesterday I pulled it, had to hit a 3-iron and then today it felt like the wind was dying down. 17 it kind of started dying down. When I got there it really gusted. When I hit my tee shot there, I smashed it as hard as I could. And had 5-iron.

MIKE WEIR: I hit a 4-iron yesterday and a 3-iron first day.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, I am over my shot, as soon as I start into it a leaf blows right over top of my ball right as I was about to pull the trigger, so went through my deal again. Then I went back into it again, then another leaf blew right by, so, you can't hit a shot until you are ready and I am not going to hit a shot until I am ready. That is why I put it back in the bag.

MIKE WEIR: No, I don't, I don't care. I am not going to hit it until I am ready. I will do it again. I will do it five times.

MIKE WEIR: Sure, I am just -- that is my focus this week, I am not hitting a shot until my mind is in the right place.

MIKE WEIR: Well, it's nerve-wracking no matter what. You just know how to deal with it better. You got to know that it is nerve-wracking for the other guys too. It is not just me and no matter who it is they are going to be nervous. And it is matter of you know the experiences that you have come through and in those situations you draw upon them.

MIKE WEIR: Davis is playing great, yeah. I am looking forward to playing with those two guys, really am. Two of the best players out here, and I think I am close to where I want to be and that is what this game is all about.

MIKE WEIR: I am a very good bad weather player, so it doesn't matter either/or, I think. I play well in bad weather.

MIKE WEIR: I think I am just-- I don't know, I am just determined and in bad conditions to do what it takes, getting it up-and-down in bad whether, you know you are not going to hit perfect shots all the time; you know you are going to miss greens and fairways. I always seem to do well in that kind of conditions for some reason.

MIKE WEIR: Windy.

MIKE WEIR: Just I think it separates you know, the players who are really playing well. I mean if you miss-hit a shot in the wind it really accentuates a calm day, a player is not playing that well can still kind of get it around and I think in the wind you really have to strike the ball solidly. You have to be there mentally, so I think the player who has his game altogether will do well in those conditions.

MIKE WEIR: No, just trying to play my game; not pay attention to the other guys .That is exactly what I will be doing tomorrow, just playing my game. I eagled that first hole. Then I had a string of 9 pars in a row, you know just got to stay patient. I wasn't frustrated at all. I just kind of kept plugging along.

MIKE WEIR: Valderama, Vancouver -- yeah, Vancouver my last probably 10 holes were very strong winds. I remember the 15th hole which is a little short dog-leg to the right which is a driver and you have about a 70 yard shot, I hit driver and 5-iron, so it was blowing hard when I was coming in.

MIKE WEIR: Well, there was plenty in there. I made -- you know got off to a great start. Lipped out a bunch of putts on the first few holes then made a few. And almost pitched in for eagle on the 11th hole then kept -- I was just hitting it so darn good there for some reason I was just really hitting it solid. I think the key was obviously 17 that pitch I had from the back of the green, you know, that is the kind of chip shot you hit just a touch too hard and it is gone because it is downwind, down grain, sloping right into the water. That chip was my most memorable shot I think I have ever hit.