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FRY'S ELECTRONICS OPEN

October 21, 2007

Mike Weir

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA

DOUG MILNE: Mike Weir, congratulations on your victory in the Fry's Electronics Open. Not the easiest day but it was certainly worth the wait, 3 1/2 years. I heard you say it's been a long time coming the. Just a couple general comments and thoughts.
MIKE WEIR: Yeah, it has been a long time coming. Its was obviously a very difficult day out there with the wind. You know, I hit the ball really solidly today. I think that was the best I hit it probably all week as far as in the middle of the face.
You know, except for a couple of hiccups, I had those two 3-putts that kind of hurt in the middle of the round and other than that I played really well and putted really well. Yeah, real happy to win, that's for sure.

Q. If somebody told you 2-under would be the low round of the day, would you have believed it?
MIKE WEIR: Well, yeah, that wind out there and those greens, I found, you know, hitting your shots is very difficult, but putting is very, very difficult. You get these little mini-bursts all the time, and if you catch one of those little mini-bursts of wind, it could blow your ball three or four inches off line.
You know, when you have some of these cross-grain putts downwind and you're trying to hit them delicate, with the wind, it's very tough putting out there.

Q. You said you were playing pretty well heading into the Presidents Cup, but how much did that kind of crystallize things for you and validate the changes that you had made?
MIKE WEIR: I guess it did. Yeah, I was playing well in there. I felt good about it all along. I don't think that really convinced me of anything.
But I think it just maybe got me over the hump maybe as far as confidence, when it really hits the fan that I can get it done. All of those matches were pressure-packed during the Presidents Cup and everything about my golf swing felt great.
So I think maybe it did solidify it a little bit but I've always believed in what I'm doing that's for sure.

Q. Has there been any one factor that's been consistent over your last three outings in terms of your game?
MIKE WEIR: Overall ball-striking. Vegas, I didn't putt very well. And I saw here, I started off the first day when I shot 69, 32 putts, I hit 16 greens, hit almost every fairway.
It was a little frustrating around the first round here and just kind of kept working hard on my putting, so that was the difference compared to maybe last week. And at the Presidents Cup I putted very well.
So that's really been the difference. There's been times this year where I've hit the ball very well and just not scored. It was just finally nice to see some putts go in.

Q. When you came out here today, the wind was blowing and just kept getting worse; do you think that was kind of to your advantage?
MIKE WEIR: Yeah, I don't know. I played a number of good rounds, really good rounds in strong winds that I can recall. In Atlanta a few years ago, I made the cut right on the nose and we had to play 36 holes on Sunday with really tough conditions, and I ended up finishing second in brutal winds and weather.
And a couple years ago at Pebble Beach I was well back and shot 67. I think I was low round by about three or four.

Q. How about the Hope 2003?
MIKE WEIR: The Bob Hope when I won in 2003 --

Q. How high were those winds at the Hope that year?
MIKE WEIR: They were similar to this. I shot 4- or 5-under that day, 5-under I think.
You know, the thing for my game is I don't have to change much about playing in the wind because I hit it pretty low anyways.
So maybe some other guys have to adjust maybe a little more than me and I don't have to make as much of an adjustment since my ball flight is pretty low anyways.

Q. How frustrating were the last three and a half years, not posting a PGA TOUR win, can you elaborate about that? Was that something that you took into every tournament or are you someone that can turn it off?
MIKE WEIR: I wouldn't say I took into every tournament. I would say I was very frustrated with, before, this year, I was very frustrated with health-wise. I wasn't able to practice. I've always been a player who has needed to practice a lot and keep on top of my game. You know, my neck and back were killing me and I wasn't able to practice very much.
And with that, I was starting to get into some bad habits with my golf swing, and so that was very frustrating.
So, yeah, it's been a little tough. Definitely been tough not winning. You know, that's what we're all out here to do, and 3 1/2 years, has been quite a long time.

Q. On 18, can you take us through the second shot?
MIKE WEIR: Yeah, the second shot, I actually hit a really good shot there. I hit a 3-iron off the tee and hit it really well, surprised that it was back a little bit. Thought it had chased down there a little further.
So I was right in between clubs and I knew 7-iron was probably going to go way long. So I had to play an 8-iron, you know, with the wind going left-to-right, and me left-handed I had to play it way over by the bunker and hope to land it short in that little fairway there and it would bounce right on, and it was perfect distance. It just needed to draw maybe three or four more yards and with the winds it would kick straight right and have been perfect. Hit a really good shot there.
Then, you know, when I got in the bunker, I saw that it was on the downslope -- I was on the downslope, downwind, sloping right towards the water was not what I was hoping for. I was hoping that ball chased in and was maybe on the upslope.
But, you know, I've been practicing a lot of little bunker shots and made a nice adjustment in the bunker and got the ball to come out nice and soft. You know, could not have hit it much better than that.

Q. What was your yardage on the second shot?
MIKE WEIR: I don't have my book with me, but I think it was like 204 yards or 206 yards.

Q. And you hit an 8-iron?
MIKE WEIR: Yeah, that's how strong the wind was. On 16, we had 195 yards and I hit 8-iron and it was on the very back edge of the green. We're hitting 5-irons 140 yards when you're into the wind. It was tough to pick a club.

Q. Was there any, you know, wind in your face so to speak when you were making that last putt?
MIKE WEIR: It was blowing pretty hard. It was gusting across there. It's pretty open on that green, and my pant legs were whipping pretty good there when I hit that putt. I just told myself to keep my head nice and steady and just try to hit it nice and solid. When you're into the grain like that, you just want to hit it in the sweet spot. That's all I concentrated on. I didn't really think too much about making it. I just concentrated on hitting the putt nice and solid.

Q. It seem like you and Mark were almost trading shots, matching shots for most of the afternoon. What was that like?
MIKE WEIR: He played very well. I think we were tied there, and on that par 3 on the back, he was looking like making bogey all the way and I go ahead and 3-putt on 13, I believe. So I felt like I kind of gave one away there and then we both hit great shots into 14.
15, you know, we were right there in front of the green and 16 he made a great save and 17 I made a good save. So we both got up-and-down on the last. So it was back and forth once some of the other guys had slipped back a little bit; it seemed like it was just between Mark and I.

Q. Is this it for you? Is the season over?
MIKE WEIR: Yes. I'm make overseas in a couple of things. Playing the World Cup for Canada in China and the week before that I'm playing in Hong Kong, and that's it.

Q. So the Mercedes, you'll be going for two in a row.
MIKE WEIR: Two in a row. (Laughing).
DOUG MILNE: Let's just run through your birdies and bogeys if you don't mind.
MIKE WEIR: The fourth hole I drove it in the fairway bunker and had to get it out. I had a 5-iron in and I hit a 5-iron from 170 yards and probably went 135 yards and pitched up to about 12 feet and missed it.
I hit a great shot into 5, the par 3. I hit a 5-iron in there probably 12 feet and made that one.
6, was playing straight downwind and I hit 3-wood in the green-side bunker and got that up-and-down, maybe about an eight-foot putt.
8, hit a really nice shot, actually, into 8 that was about 12 feet that the one point. It came back down the slope and I 3-putted, ran it by about five feet and missed that coming back.
Then 10, I hit a 3-wood off the tee and a 7-iron to about five feet.
I already told you about 13, I was on the green and 3-putted from 40 feet maybe.
Then 14 I birdied. I hit drive and an 8-iron to about four feet.
And 15, I drove it right in front of the green and almost chipped in. It was right, you know, two inches away and tapped in.
DOUG MILNE: Mike, congratulations, and thanks for stopping by.

End of FastScripts

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