	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 17, 2008

Mike Weir

SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND

MALCOLM BOOTH: Ladies and gentlemen, we've got Mike Weir, joint leader in the clubhouse after an opening round 71. Thanks for joining us.
MIKE WEIR: Thank you.
MALCOLM BOOTH: It was obviously a tough day out there and that was a good round. Take us through your thoughts on that.
MIKE WEIR: Yeah, you know, starting the day I would have definitely taken 1-over par given the weather we had when we started. It got a little bit better as the back nine went on with the rain stopping. It was just tough to keep dry, and the wind was just as strong as I've ever seen. A driver and a 3-iron on the first hole, a 3-wood and a 3-iron, and then a driver and a Rescue club into the second hole from 78 yards. So it was very strong.
I had two blips on the card, really. On 6 I made a 6 there. And then lost the ball to the right on 16, hit a drive to the right. But really a highlight, obviously, on 17. I hit a very nice drive for me and I had a 5-iron from 235 yards and it bounced up there about 12 feet or 15 feet and made that putt for eagle. So it was a good way to finish.

Q. You were out in the middle of that storm at Muirfield on the Saturday. How does this compare to that?
MIKE WEIR: I think it was right there. It felt about the same. It's very strong winds. It's tough to make a swing when it's blowing that hard and tough to keep your form. You have all these layers of clothes on, you're battling the conditions. It just makes it very difficult. But I think it's very similar to Muirfield there.

Q. What would you say was the effective par score of the day today? Would you reckon it to be 74, 75, or something in that region?
MIKE WEIR: Yeah, I would say at least 75 probably. Given the morning -- like I said, it's a little bit better out there right now, it's a little bit warmer. You don't have as many layers on and your grips are dry, so that makes a difference. And the wind has died just a fraction. I would say this morning, as least 75, maybe 76, and it may be a shot lower now.

Q. That being the case, you're about 5-under in those terms?
MIKE WEIR: I guess, yeah. I'd say that felt like about a 5-under par round. A lot of long irons into almost every hole. The last hole I hit a driver and a wedge going with the wind, but most of the holes back into the wind, a lot of 3-irons, 3-woods, rescue clubs, just all the artillery in the bag today, you needed it.

Q. 13 you birdie; 14, very solid; 15, you played that hole solid. All of a sudden you get one bad swing at 16, then come back and play solid the rest of the way. Was it strictly that, just one bad swing?
MIKE WEIR: Yeah, I just made a bad swing. A hard right-to-left wind like that, I was trying to hit a draw to hold it, and obviously I over-drawed it, I hooked it. I didn't want it to get away to the left. It was a hard right-to-left wind, so I was trying to draw the ball and I over-cooked it. Then the next was a nice drive and a 4-iron and I played the hole nicely.

Q. The hole before 15, you lipped that putt out, too.
MIKE WEIR: Yeah, and 14. I had about 12 feet there, too. I had some nice birdie looks at it today. Left it on the edge close on 10. I had some nice birdie putts out there today. Except for the few little struggles out there, most of the time I hit as many greens as I probably could have expected today. I probably hit 13 greens today, which is really good today, I think, under those conditions.

Q. I was going to ask you if this round today would have compared to your Friday at Carnoustie in '99. And also, when was the last time you wore a tuque on the golf course? We've seen you in short sleeves in all kinds of weather out there.
MIKE WEIR: Pretty similar. I probably played a little better in that round in Carnoustie, given the circumstances after an awful first round. And to shoot 71 in fairly similar conditions on a golf course that didn't give me any margin for error, and given, you know, kind of a rookie, it was probably a little better. But this was a really good round. The last time I wore a tuque, man, it had to be over here. I think last year, the one round that we played in the rain, I think Saturday when it rained pretty hard, I think I had the tuque on for a few holes. But it's not very often.

Q. Where do you stand on the theory that par is a good winning score in a major? Are you one that likes to see red figures or do you subscribe to the fact that the best player should finish as near to par as possible?
MIKE WEIR: I guess I subscribe to a fair test. You don't want to set up a golf course, I believe, that makes the players look ridiculous when you hit good shots and you're not rewarded. I like to see good shots rewarded. And I think if the conditions were right here, you'd see a lot more good shots rewarded.
And the greens are very fair out here. So if you do have a long iron in and you hit a good shot, you can be rewarded. I think they've done a nice job setting up the golf course. They can't control the weather. It's nice to see par at U.S. Opens. It's nice to see par, maybe a few under, here. The excitement of the Masters, usually maybe more birdies; it seems to be a little more exciting. And the PGA normally is a lower winning score, so I think it's a good mix that they have.

Q. Ernie was in here the other day and talking about how much difference the draw can make in this tournament as opposed to a lot of other tournaments. What's your perspective on that?
MIKE WEIR: Yeah, that's true. With the long day of tee times, you know, 6:30 I think is the first time, last time 4:30 or 4:20, yeah, there can be significant differences in the draw compared to another event when you're going off both tees and a little more compacted, but that's the way it's always been here, and it's an aspect of this event, and it makes it pretty cool and makes it different, that you can get the good time. I mean there is a little bit more luck thrown in there, I guess. I think that's always been part of it.
I remember watching plenty of British Opens where guys had been struggling early or later in the day and then the sun comes out and you have some good scoring conditions. So a little luck there.

Q. You may have gotten a little bit of both today?
MIKE WEIR: Yeah, probably. The front nine was about as tough as it could get, and then the back nine is -- it wasn't bad. I mean, it wasn't great, but it was definitely better than the front.

Q. You've always been a pretty good mudder. In a situation like this, what is Brennan's main job, keep the clubs dry and let you worry about yourself?
MIKE WEIR: Yeah, and I relied a lot on him a lot for yardage today. I was trying to keep my hands dry, keep my hands in the warmers. He did a good job keeping the bag there, keeping everything dry in there. So I was relying on him for yardages, which I usually do my own yardages along with that. But my book was so soaking wet, and I didn't even bother getting it out of my pocket. I was just looking off Brennan's, and going off the yardage there, so he plays a little more role on a day like today.
MALCOLM BOOTH: Mike, thank you very much for joining us.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297