MICHELOB CHAMPIONSHIP AT KINGSMILL

October 8, 1999

Mike Weir

MIKE WEIR: The difference between yesterday and today was a little bit of a rough day. I had taken a couple of weeks off, and I hadn't done a whole lot. I didn't get a whole lot of time to practice, just took it easy, took two weeks off. Yesterday was just a little bit of rough play. I didn't play -- the difference was the putter, much better today, the main key.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, I used it a little bit, the one in Vancouver, the main thing I took out that tournament, I played pretty well, the only change I would have made the final round was I got a little impatient when I got behind early. I was trying to win the tournament. I was trying to get back into it, and tried to force things to happen, instead of letting them happen. If you try to force thing on a tough golf course, it will get up and bite you. If you force the putts and force the ball a little closer to the hole than I needed to, that's the difference I learned probably going into Vancouver, is I just kind of let it happen there and I think that's what I learned.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, exactly, that's what I did today. I didn't want to worry about the cut or anything, I just wanted to go play a good, solid round of golf. Whatever happened today I wasn't too worried about, I wanted to play better. I was very surprised to shoot that low a round coming off of not too much practice time.

MIKE WEIR: I can't remember. I think it's probably the closest there. Either tied or maybe one better, I'm not sure. Vancouver the last few days I shot 64 or -- 64, seven under the last few days. That's definitely the best round this year.

MIKE WEIR: Yes, it's fantastic, winning there. Every time the Tour gets to Canada, the big talk is when is a Canadian going to win at home. And for me to finally do it, and the way it happened last year, coming from behind, and the crowds were fantastic, couldn't ask for a better scenario. And the next week in Toronto, most of my family was there, they're from Ontario, and it was special winning there, more than probably the PGA. It was a lot more special, because just the people pulling for you, the expectation going in there, because I played well there in the past. And I think it was probably tougher to win there than anywhere.

MIKE WEIR: A couple of top fives, I finished 5th two times out of the previous few years. I played well. I think the expectation was that I could do well and pull it out.

MIKE WEIR: No question, I wouldn't trade it.

MIKE WEIR: Where I came from last year, I'm getting better, my game is getting better, and I hope that down the road I'll put myself in some chances to win majors down the road. And I think I'll be better prepared for it when it does happen, and when I get in that situation. Winning that event I think is better for me.

MIKE WEIR: I think it was Stan Leonard, in the 40's.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, it was, that golf course rule suits me well for some reason, I feel comfortable on it. And like I say, I didn't force anything to happen, I just let things happen and luckily it turned out for me. Holing that shot on 14, that was kind of unexpected, knocking an 8-iron in from 165 yards, so things really happened -- when you win a tournament, you get some fortunate luck, and I had some luck.

MIKE WEIR: Today? It was a driver and 3-wood to 6 feet.

MIKE WEIR: Sure. 3 I had a good drive and laid it up to about 90 yards and hit that to six feet, and made that putt. 8 I hit a 3-wood and 8-iron to three feet. I made a nice par saver on 9 from about eight feet. 12 I hit a 3-wood and a 9-iron to almost went in to about an inch, hung right on the lip. And 13 I hit a little 5-iron to 25 feet, and made that one, that was a nice putt there. 14 a 3-wood and 9-iron to six feet. 15 a driver and 3-wood to six feet, made that for eagle. Missed about an 8-footer on 17 and rolled into a nice putt, I hit it in the first cut of rough on the last hole, and I was stuck with about 30 feet.

MIKE WEIR: I was 138, I think.

MIKE WEIR: I think the golf course -- the wind wasn't up as much as yesterday, and the greens -- the ball was receiving nicely on the greens, the ball wasn't really bouncing far, I think if anyone was going to shoot a round it would be this morning, but it was a little unexpected, because I haven't been putting in the time. Normally with my game I have to always be on top of it. I'm not a guy that can usually take a lot of time off and play well, so it's kind of surprising to me, actually.

MIKE WEIR: I feel like I've been playing well. I want to play this and see what happens. I'm not a really big money list watcher. I'm not a big leaderboard watcher, either. So I don't really pay attention too much.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah.

MIKE WEIR: No, like I said, I take away the positives from it, as I was telling this gentleman. I just -- I was a little impatient, I tried to force things, and that's the big thing that I took away from that. But I also realized that also when I'm playing well and playing on top of my game I can play with anybody, and I'm as good as anybody if I'm playing on top of my game. I had sort of a ways to go, I feel, and there were more positives than negative.

MIKE WEIR: I had a turtleneck and shirt on when I teed off and then peeled it off.

MIKE WEIR: Probably a little easier, kind of a downwind shot that was playing easier than yesterday.

MIKE WEIR: I drove it in the rough yesterday, I had to lay it up short. But it would have been a four or five iron to the back, today a hit an 8-iron, a big difference.

MIKE WEIR: Not really. I guess it does, it gets the competitive juices flow more, now that I'm in contention. But my gameplan stays the same. I want to play the golf course exactly the same way as I did today, the same targets that I set up for myself. I'm happy with the way I kind of dissected the course today, I hope I can keep doing that. I won't change that.

MIKE WEIR: No, not really. I get my caddy to do it. If he feels like we need to throw out a pin or something, he'll let me know. But I stick to my same routine. And if I'm out of it a little bit and need to take a chance, well, I ask him and see where we're at, and I might take a look. But I rely on him to kind of rely that information to me.

MIKE WEIR: I finished maybe the middle of the pack, I'm not sure. I had one good round, 67 or something, but somewhere in the middle.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, I remember coming in here I wasn't struggling to keep my card this time last year. I wasn't playing well when I came in here, and I still managed to shoot that one big round of 67, I think, one round. And the golf course obviously I felt comfortable, for not playing it well, I remember shooting a good round out here. It's a great golf course, it's a really good golf course.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, I played at college, and then I put them away. I still enjoy the game and have a chance to play here and there.

MIKE WEIR: Recreational once in a while. What we were talking about, just Inside the PGA TOUR thing, with the Washington Capitols. The captain is a friend of mine. I did a full practice with them about two and a half weeks ago. I couldn't move for about two days..

MIKE WEIR: I got bumped around a little. But I wanted to get out there. I didn't want to do it for show, I wanted to work the whole practice. They let me do the drills and everything.

MIKE WEIR: I played left wing and center, when I played. It's amazing the speed. Boy, was I slow compared to those guys, they're awesome.

MIKE WEIR: Nothing really. I guess the major difference was probably the media attention that I got. It kept me in Toronto, which is closer to my home town, which is great. In walking the range I got a standing ovation, and I guess that was the difference, that I wasn't expecting that for sure. Other than that my life hasn't changed, I'm still the same guy, I do the same things, I'm the same guy I haven't went out and bought a new house or new car.

MIKE WEIR: The game is too fickle, you never know. I put it away.

MIKE WEIR: I would say my golfing heroes are Jack Nicklaus, and through my college days -- I look at people for different reasons, Richard Zokel (ph.) is one that's a true professional, and he's helped me a lot that guy when I turned pro to give me some good advise as far as instructors go, just a lot of little advice that really pays off in the long run. He's the guy I've always looked up to from my teens on, I would say those two guys more than anybody, golfing-wise. Wayne Gretzky is probably the guy I liked growing up.

MIKE WEIR: Charles Tucker was my coach when I was there, Jim Helford, and Richard Zokel went there, and another player is Rick Gibson, he played in Japan, and Brent Franklin. I just kind of followed in their footsteps. And coach recruited me down there, and I loved the area, I knew we were going to play a competitive schedule all year. Coach became -- he was like a second dad to me. I think that was the main reason I went there.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, it's been cut off lately, because they have a new coach. I hope he starts recruiting again.

MIKE WEIR: After my senior year he packed it in.

MIKE WEIR: Well, I'm sure they weren't going to hammer me into the boards. They kind of got me after the practice and pulled a jersey over my head and pretended (inaudible.)

MIKE WEIR: I think this is my lowest number,

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