July 23, 2014

field and so many great players coming up the An Interview With: ranks.

Q. You just referenced the golf course MIKE WEIR and sort of reminding yourself of what you need to do out there. What is it you need to do at Royal Montreal to succeed? THE MODERATOR: We welcome Mike MIKE WEIR: Well, for myself, keep it in Weir to the media center here at the RBC the short stuff off the tee and in the fairway, which I Canadian Open. Obviously Royal Montreal is a just got done with nine holes, I felt very good about special place for you with one of the defining that. And I think putting is going to be key this moments of your career with your singles win at week. I think you're going to see some good the Presidents Cup. Talk about what it's like being scores. I don't know if you'll see four great scores back here at Royal Montreal and some of the every day, but now with the softer conditions -- it memories you have from that event. was kind of getting that championship feel with the MIKE WEIR: Sure. Yeah, 2007 was firmness of the course yesterday and starting to obviously very special. You know, I was telling dry out, but this has set us back just a little bit. some of the guys that it was a disappointing week First couple days probably will be some really good for our team, and being part of a team that's what it scoring, and I expect that as the weekend goes on was all about. Sunday was definitely special for it'll play a little tougher. me playing Tiger that day and playing so well. I have great memories as I walk around the golf Q. Has the Canadian Open changed for course of that day and of the week. I haven't been you over the years? Do you have a different back since, haven't played the golf course since, feeling coming to it now than you did maybe so it was good to refamiliarize myself with the golf 10, 15 years ago? course again and just remember what you have to MIKE WEIR: No, I think it changes. I look do out there. at the first time I played, I qualified as an amateur THE MODERATOR: This week is when I was in college, a 19 year old amateur, and obviously pretty special for all Canadians in the Monday qualified and beat -- I forget who I beat in field but yourself especially. Tell us a little bit a playoff to get in, and that experience was -- I was about what it's like trying to play for the national so nervous, my first professional event being the title and competing in front of a large number of Canadian Open, that it was a little overwhelming. fans here this week. And then through the years I've been the focus of MIKE WEIR: Yeah, I think this is my 24th attention and not so focus of attention sometimes, Canadian Open, so I've been at it a long time. But so it definitely changes every year. every time you come back, it's special. This is This year I'm excited about my game. I'm such a special event for all the Canadians in the ready to play and compete. So yeah, I think it field, and myself in particular, it was the first changes every year, the feel, a little bit. professional event I watched as a kid live. I still remember that pretty vividly actually, doing a junior Q. What would it mean for you to have clinic with Andy Bean and Tom Kite and being one this tournament played on a course that you've of the kids on the range that got to walk up there designed? and get close to those guys. That really spurred MIKE WEIR: Well, that would be -- I'd be my interest in professional golf. really excited about that, very happy about it. I Yeah, but for all of us Canadians this is a think the golf course can handle it. I think the way special week, a lot of new faces, which is great to that that Laval sets up, it's a very challenging see. It's great to see so many Canadians in the

0b29e1f2b931b077e037ffe2e8df27e 1 f.doc visit our archives at asapsports.com course around the greens. I think we could do I'm not going to go seeking it out. I don't think some really exciting things and make it a very that's the proper way to do it. challenging Open, a very exciting Open and an Open that opens it up to the whole field. I think not Q. And what would you tell them in that one particular player would have a big advantage situation, though? like some golf courses do. And I think it would just MIKE WEIR: What would I tell them? be -- for myself I'd be really excited to see it go Yeah, I think every player is different. There's there. guys coming up the Web.com, there's amateur players, there's some of the guys off the PGA Q. Obviously you're one of the players TOUR Canada. I know for myself when I was here this week who knows the course the best. playing PGA TOUR Canada, Canadian Tour, it What are the key holes on this course? was such a big event. You're playing for $100,000 MIKE WEIR: The key holes? I think the purse and then all of a sudden you're playing for finish of the golf course is very strong, right near millions of dollars, and it's your national open, and the end. 16, 17, 18, with some of the pin you put too much pressure on yourself, and I know placements and the way the greens are designed, for myself I was overworked by the time Thursday there can be some tough pins there. 18 is just a came around, so I would tell them probably to stick difficult hole. to their normal routine, what they do in a normal Around the front side, the stretch of 4, 5, 6, tournament and not try to overwork, and that's a those are some difficult holes, but then there's tendency. That's a tendency when you get to a some scorable holes, too. Again, I think early in major championship when you're a pro on the the week here with the soft conditions, I think you'll TOUR, you see guys overworking in majors, and see some good scores, but hopefully it firms up a those are things you learn as you go along that I little bit and the greens will get a little firmer and it'll notice myself when I played my best in the big make it a little more difficult. tournaments, it's when I backed off my practice schedule and con served my energy, and I was Q. It's been 60 years since a Canadian well rested and ready for the week because it's won this event, and the last time it was done it such a grind. That's what I would tell them is was here. Does that surprise you that number, manage your time a little bit. 60 years for someone to win the national open? MIKE WEIR: It does surprise me, yes. It's Q. There was a meeting this week hard to believe that it's been 60 years. Yeah, I between Golf Canada and the Canadian mean, the more -- as I was saying earlier, we have Olympic committee. Do you still give Rio much more players in the field, I think more capable thought at this point, and if you had a chance players in the field now, and with that, the odds to compete there, do you think about how that increase. I think we'll see that going forward. It's would be? going to end at some point, so hopefully if it's not MIKE WEIR: Yeah, I'd love to have that myself another Canadian gets it done this week. It experience of playing in the Olympics. It's one of would be a nice streak to get over so we don't the only things out there that all of us haven't have to talk about it anymore. experienced. To be part of an Olympic team, I love watching the Olympics, been to a couple of them to Q. What have you told some of the watch live, and I think it's great team camaraderie. younger players about dealing with the I'd love to be part of Team Canada. Yeah, it's pressure of carrying the maple leaf flag into a important to me going forward, so it's on the radar tournament like this? for sure. MIKE WEIR: They haven't really asked me much about it. The guys -- I was always FastScripts by ASAP Sports interested in picking the brains of the guys that were established TOUR players on TOUR, and I don't want to sound like the preachy father or older brother always telling them what to do. If they come up and ask me, I will definitely try to lend a hand and give them the best knowledge I can, but

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