THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY DYNEGY

November 2, 2001

Mike Weir

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, I started off my first two holes, hit a really two good shots in there, just missed birdies. I curled in probably about a 15-footer on No. 3. I hit kind of a poor shot on the par 3, I was trying to draw it in there and hung it out there on the left probably 40 feet from the hole on 4 and ran it by probably eight feet, and missed it coming back. That was my bogey of the day. Then actually hit a poor tee shot on 5, got lucky, caught a good lie in the rough on the right side, and managed to hit a 3-wood out of the rough that got on the green probably 25 feet from the hole. I 2-putted that for birdie. No. 9, nice drive right around the corner, only had a 5-iron in, hit a 5-iron 15 feet fromm the hole, made it for eagle. The par 5, I guess No. 13, I hit a drive and 3-wood right in the center of the green 30 feet from the hole, maybe two putted that. 15, I hit a drive and sand wedge probably three feet. Made that. So those were pretty basic birdies, but I had a lot of other chances, 10 to 20-foot range. I burned the edge a lot. Converted a few, but overall, it was a good day.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, much better start than last time I was here, that is for sure. I think I started 76, 74 or something. Was a rabbit on Saturday by myself and played the last 36 holes by myself. This will be a little bit better. But it's just nice to be in contention. I haven't played a whole lot, from mid summer on, pretty much since the British Open I haven't played a lot of golf, so I haven't been really in contention. So it's nice to be back in that position, get the butterflies going and, hopefully, I can play well enough tomorrow to put myself in the position to win Sunday.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, they have been. Can't really pinpoint why that has been that way. But, you know, this is my last chance to really Mercedes Championship, always great way to start off the year and this is my last chance at it. I won the last tournament of the year last year, not saying I am going to win this week, but it's just nice to be there and have a chance. It's nice to be playing well again. Even the tournaments I have played this fall I haven't played particularly well. So it is just nice to be playing well again.

MIKE WEIR: Well, today it just played as easy as -- this golf course is very tough, but if the golf course is ever going to play easy, it was today because the wind was down. That's a big factor, really, that the wind was down. It wasn't really a factor at all. I think if you are driving the ball well, it's playing hard and fast, the ball is really releasing out there, you are getting some mid to short irons, which makes it play a little bit easier. Plus the greens being so soft, even though they are very quick, they are very soft, so you can fly the ball right to it. It is a little strange to see the ball really check up, then you have a putt that's so fast.

MIKE WEIR: No, I didn't. Absolutely. I would assess it -- it was a pretty consistent year. It wasn't a bad year, by any stretch of the imagination, but it's not what I was looking for, that's for sure. I was looking to win, but to be more in contention in the majors, that's what I was really looking for. I never really got myself there. The one I was really looking forward to the most was the British Open. I missed the cut there. So overall, the bigger tournaments were disappointing. Played pretty consistent throughout the year, but the bigger tournaments were disappointing for me this year.

MIKE WEIR: No, I just think that kind of golf suits my game. I drive the ball pretty low anyways. If the wind really blows, it's hard. I really get a lot of release out of my driver on hard golf courses, my ball really scoots on the fairway. If I can get on a hard course like Doral when I it was playing really hard, I could get out there quite a long ways. I thought with my low ball flight I'd do well there. Just didn't put it all together.

MIKE WEIR: No.

MIKE WEIR: A little bit. I have been a little nicked, had a few things, cyst on my finger, a little neck thing, but nothing that's --

MIKE WEIR: I have had a chronic bad neck for the last few years, but nothing that is really -- that's warranted pulling out of a tournament or anything. The guys in the trailer --

MIKE WEIR: No, not that bad. Nothing that the guys haven't been able to fix in the trailer and get me ready Tuesday and Wednesday, get me ready to play for Thursday.

MIKE WEIR: Probably nobody. I would think. I think there's always you know, small little nagging things, I mean, you are hitting so many balls, I don't think your body is supposed to -- you know, it wasn't meant to torque that much, I don't think, hitting 4, 500 balls a day or sometimes in a week. You always come up with little knee and shoulder things. You always see guys in the trailer with things.

MIKE WEIR: Pin placement was accessible on the front.

MIKE WEIR: That hole really sets up well for me, being left-handed, shaped left-to-right. I could hit a nice draw around the corner, which I did. Only 5-iron into the green. I had 205 yards or something; hit a nice 5-iron right at it. It landed right at the pin just went off to the right 15 feet, had an easy putt, so, I think even if you are around the green anywhere there, bunker shot or little chip from the right side, it was all pretty standard, kind of basic shot around that pin today. That's what made it easy.

MIKE WEIR: The pin back left and they put one maybe just right over that the bunker on the right there, plus it's not that easy of a hole. If you miss the fairway there and then you may have some trouble.

MIKE WEIR: It is a great bonus at the end of the year for playing well to get in here. The top-30 players on our Tour, so the quality of field is really tough and so it's up there in the Top-10 for sure. Outside of the majors and probably the World Golf Championship events because it brings a bigger field in, and probably a little more depth just because of the number of players, but still this is tough to win as any tournament even though it's 30 or 29 guys because of how well everybody has played all year. Our Tour is probably -- it is the strongest Tour in the world so it's 29 of the best probably.

MIKE WEIR: Playing in Japan for the World Cup week after next, and I am going to Sun City, South Africa first week of December.

MIKE WEIR: Ian Legatt.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, he had a tough day yesterday, shot 75. I am actually going to call him just see what is -- I talked to him before when I had to make my decision for that, if for some reason he did finish outside the 125 would he still go. He said yes because he'd still have a week break between the final, you know, between Japan he'd have a week off.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, I am wondering for jet lag how much times he wants to spend with his coach all those factors played into it.

MIKE WEIR: Or Glen Hnatiuk. Glen, speaking of injuries I think he has a bad shoulder.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, I do. Because we don't have a team if I don't play. That's the tough part about it, but on the other hand I do want -- I want to play it because it started as the Canada Cup, the World Cup, so there's a lot of history behind it. Canada has won -- I know at least once, Dave Barr and Dave Halldorson won. I am not sure if any of the other guys won it. So there's a lot of history for Canada in that tournament for sure. That's one of the main reasons that I have chosen to go.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, it is a good feeling because I don't feel like I played to my highest level, I don't think. I still got to improve a little bit more. Overall it was pretty much as consistent as last year. I have played 4, 5 less tournaments in the last year as well, and so overall it was probably little bit more consistent. But on the other hand in the bigger tournaments I just really didn't perform well. Got to kind of reassess that in the off-season and see why I did that and see if I can come up with a better plan for them next year.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, my iron-play was really good today. I hit a number of iron shots really close to the hole. Pretty much since the middle of summer I haven't been hitting my irons very well. I have been driving it okay; nice to see some iron shots get close to the hole.

MIKE WEIR: Yeah, I mean, I just gave myself a number of opportunities and I rolled a few in and burned the edge on a few but you keep giving yourself chances, kind of the numbers are in your favor, you are going to roll a few in.