THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 23, 2002

Mike Weir

Q. Mike, another big one and you are right in the hunt again. I wonder your thoughts about the round and your position.

MIKE WEIR: Well, yeah, this is one of the biggest tournaments, obviously, that we play and I am real pleased with my round. If you would have told me at the beginning of the week that I would be in the position I am now, I would have taken it, obviously. Since I didn't even -- didn't get a practice round in because I was feeling so terrible. I am real happy with the way things have gone so far.

Q. How different is the course today as opposed to yesterday?

MIKE WEIR: It was getting a lot faster. Greens were a lot faster. They were starting to firm up a little bit more. They are still fairly soft. You are going to see tomorrow, they are going to be much firmer, and on the greens they are rolling out those extra two, three feet.

When you have a 30-footer and it is coming over a rise and you think it has the right pace, it seems to scoot by three, four feet. That's what makes it difficult out here.

Q. Do you think that's going to mean more lower scores?

MIKE WEIR: No, higher scores, definitely. Higher scores given the pressure of a Sunday round. The course is firming up and the fairway is firming up. Before the fairways were so soft if you hit one off-line it was, you know, if it was firm, it may hop into the rough. Well, it would just plug and stay in the fairway. You are going to see more balls finding the rough tomorrow. It is going to be tougher to hit the fairways and greens.

Q. How mentally draining is this course?

MIKE WEIR: I am just drained because of health- wise reasons. But it's such a difficult course mentally. You have to stay with it. If you lose your focus at any point you are going -- if you lose your focus at any point out there you are going to really make a big number. There's not any soft he holes out there. There's a big number looking at you at every hole so you have to really stay focused throughout the round and that's what I try to pride myself on.

Q. What is the score that you need to shoot?

MIKE WEIR: I think a score right around 8 -, 9-, 10-under is going to be a real tough to beat, I think. I am sure it's going to blow tomorrow and you know, just makes it more difficult out here when the wind blows.

Q. You have been under the weather?

MIKE WEIR: Real under the weather. I have had bronchitis. I played about three holes of a practice round Tuesday; that's the only practice I got in Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. As I said, I am real happy to be in the position I am in because I wasn't able to hit balls, wasn't able to do anything except lie in bed and trying to feel better.

Q. (Inaudible) will the experience help you tomorrow?

MIKE WEIR: Knowing that you have done it before, I think so and done it against a top rate field, you have that to draw on, and to bank on.

Q. What would you like it to be tomorrow, hardest conditions?

MIKE WEIR: I would like to see it play really hard. I think that's what the Tour wants. They want to see it play tough because every little thing is magnified out here and I think the tougher it plays, the guy who is playing the best is going to come out on top.

Q. You said you only hit three holes on Tuesday and that was it?

MIKE WEIR: Yeah.

Q. So you have seen the doctor - medication?

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, I have just been trying to rest, just -- I did see the Doc in there, he gave me some things. It was a viral bronchitis so it wasn't really --

Q. Affected your play at all?

MIKE WEIR: It's affected my play quite a bit Thursday. I was just lucky that my putter was really hot because I was really hurting Thursday. It was good thing I only had to play 11 holes and I came out yesterday had a little bit more energy and made it around okay and today I felt much better energy-wise.

Q. Finish today probably made you feel better still?

MIKE WEIR: Made me feel better, yes.

Q. The last nine people that have won this tournament they have a major attached to their name at this juncture maybe not when they won it; obviously that speaks to the quality of champion. How difficult is it for someone to break through here, do you think, someone that's -- I think you were closer to that group, to that level because of what you accomplished now, but you have Carl Paulson and Craig Perks at the top, that's kind of new air for them?

MIKE WEIR: Sure, but I just believe that anybody who is playing well, you can keep your confidence at that level that they are playing at, I think they are going to have a chance as well. It is just a matter of not getting wrapped up in what it all mean and what the outcomes are. That's the mental challenge of a person who hasn't really had success winning a tournament yet. I think that's, you know, for myself, you know, having done that a few times as I said I have that to bank on but I think that might be the most difficult part of it all. Everybody has got to win a tournament for the first time and you never know, it could be here.

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