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FRYS.COM OPEN

October 21, 2009

Mike Weir

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA

DOUG MILNE: Mike Weir, thanks for joining us for a few minutes in the interview room here at the Frys.com Open. 2007 champion here. First winner here at Grayhawk since it's moved back. Coming off your fifth President's Cup. You mentioned you were glad to have last week to kind of catch your breath and so forth.
Talk a little bit about the President's Cup experience and your thoughts on the course and the state of your game.
MIKE WEIR: Yeah, you know, the president's Cup is always a special week. You get together with 11 other guys, couple captains, all that goes into it, all the people you get to spend all week with is special, you know, kind of being part of a team in an individual sport.
At the same time, it's frustrating. You know, being -- as Doug said, my fifth time. We haven't won. That gets frustrating.
But all in all, you know, the state of my game that week was pretty good. Coming in here, I had last week off to work on a few things and just get rested. I was a little under the weather, but coming around. Everything feels good.
I had a great practice round today and had a great group of guys to play with. My game felt solid. Looking forward to the golf course and the challenge this week. It's playing a little longer than what it has. You know, the overseeding, the ball not traveling, bouncing down the fairways, just kind of hitting and stopping.
So the course played quite long. It'll be a pretty good challenge out there, especially if we get some wind.
DOUG MILNE: Okay. Questions.

Q. In the tournament's brief history, you've been dominate in terms of how you've played. Will you be sad to see it leave? Will you lobby to try to keep it?
MIKE WEIR: Yeah, as well as I've played here, you know, I love the golf course. I'm not sure, have they announced what year they're...
Year to year. Yeah, I mean, I do love this golf course. I understand, you know, if they do want to move it to their golf course just outside of San Jose. That's understood, and I hear it's fantastic.
Still hate to see it leave here. I love coming here and got a lot of great friends. Couple of my best friends live here in town. Brian Savage lives right on the on the golf course here. An ex-hockey guy that I grew up playing golf with actually.
Always enjoy coming back here.

Q. Is there anything distinguishable about this course that has given you the personal success you've had here?
MIKE WEIR: Well, I think a couple things. I think, you know, when I won here two years ago I hadn't won in a couple years. You kind of get a little bit of a monkey off my back. Hadn't won actually since 2004, so almost three years.
So it's been a little bit of a drought again. I haven't won since then. Been close a bunch of times. I always seem to finish off the year pretty strong in a lot of events I've won, you know, TOUR Championship at the end of the year, American Express and Spain was at the end of the year.
I think that has something to do with it. I seem to play well this time of year. I just like the golf course. I think it's a solid golf course. It has a good variety of shots. It has some room to drive it off the tee on some holes, but it also has some tighter holes that you really have to be wary off.
Tough greens. I think you really gotta putt well to do well around here.

Q. Do you know who George Lyon is, Olympic gold medalist in golf?
MIKE WEIR: Yeah.

Q. So a little pressure on to you defend that in 2016?
MIKE WEIR: Hopefully I'm playing. You know, I'd love to be playing in 2016 for Canada. I'm glad that golf is in the Olympics. That's a big goal of mine now. You know, I would be about 46.

Q. So was he.
MIKE WEIR: Was he? Maybe that's a good omen. That's something else to really shoot for. I've done some pretty good things in my career. That's something that I think would be pretty special.
Again, referring back to the President's Cup, you know, to be on a team like that, but to be on an Olympic team with all the other athletes would be really, really special. Something I know you would always remember. Something to really shoot for.

Q. I think the last time you won here there was quite a number of your countrymen here. Do you remember that?
MIKE WEIR: Yeah.

Q. Just in terms of the Canadian presence in Phoenix, do you find that on this event that people tell you, I'm from Canada? Do you find you have a little bit of a following because of that?
MIKE WEIR: I think so. You know, it's kind of getting to that time of year where people start heading south, you know, getting out of the cold of Canada. You know, there are. There's a lot of Canadians down here. I always have lots of support.
In 2007 there was a great number. Seemed like 60 or 70. We all kind of corralled over here and had a little toast, so that was fun.
Yeah, you know, it's a unique position. When I play in Florida maybe early in the season there's a lot of Canadians down in Florida or California when we play. Yeah, I get a lot of support from Canadians wherever I play.

Q. You mentioned turning 46 for the Olympics. There are quite a few guys here, Couples and Lehman who are turning 50 this year, or just turned 50. What does that mean now on the tour? Do you find these guys are still competitive, and has that changed much?
MIKE WEIR: I think it's definitely changed. Although, you know, Jack won the Masters at 46, and Ray Floyd, I think 44 maybe the U.S. Open, and still had success. Jay Haas. There's definitely examples we can use of guys playing well late in their 40s and 50s. Obviously Tom Watson at the British Open.
I think it's a mindset, one; two, I think obviously fitness has come a long way in our sport. Actually guys pay attention to that a little bit more than maybe in the past, so I think you can extend your career a little bit longer and hopefully have injury prevention and be a little fitter longer.
I definitely pay attention to that. Hopefully I can play a long time. I want to keep continuing to play. Like you said, 46, it's something I really want to shoot for. Definitely want to stay ready for that.

Q. What's the availability for you guys like for staying in shape, the trailers? Is it pretty accessible? Is it easier now to stay on top of your...
MIKE WEIR: It is. When I first started on the Tour we had one fitness trailer. When I would go in to use it, there would be a handful of guys all week that I would see in there. You know, most of the time I was kind of by myself in there.
Now we have two full-time trailers, and they're pretty packed any time you go in there. Whatever city you go to, you usually find guys and their caddies even working out in there.
But the tournaments do a great job. Like Frys this week did a great job. I mean, when I registered, I got a week's pass to Lifetime Fitness for the week. I think everybody kind of knows it's part of the routine of a lot of players. They like to find a place to go workout, because these trailers sometimes get pretty busy sometimes.
It's pretty accessible. Usually when you go into the city you can find a weekly spot to go.

Q. Give us a recap on your year, highlights and things you want as you get towards the finish.
MIKE WEIR: Yeah, I got off to a good start to the year. Two of my first three tournaments I was right there with a chance to win. Hope I finished third, and Pebble Beach I was one shot back and we got rained out on Sunday. Ended up finishing second.
The rest of the year I played solid, but nothing to the level I thought it was gonna be. Ended up being a pretty steady year, but still some inconsistencies in there. Midway through the year, a little less than midway, I started back with my old coach who I had worked with for ten years. So that was a bit of an adjustment to get back. Everything is feeling great with him. It's been a good change.
Overall, I would say the year was fair to good. I mean, it wasn't great, but still a solid year.

End of FastScripts

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