PGATOUR.com Editorial Coordinator
MONTREAL, Canada -- He wasn't the hero of the match for the International Team. That honor would belong to Vijay Singh, who thought the hole was the size of a basketball goal on Friday and just couldn't miss it.
He wasn't the "SportsCenter" highlight, either. In case you just emerged from a cave -- or even worse, your office cubicle -- and missed Woody Austin's swan dive, rest assured it will probably air 532 times in the next 24 hours.
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No, Mike Weir didn't make waves or the most sparkly on-course fireworks. But he was the crowd darling, the consummate team player, the Superman of The Presidents Cup's host nation and the only golfer other than Singh to go two rounds without a loss on the International squad.
Not bad for one day.
"He's a dominant man, dominant man in this series," Captain Gary Player said of his Captain's Pick Weir. "[And]...So you know, Mike just says, 'Anybody you want me to play. You want me to rest, I'll rest. You want me to play, I'll play. You want me to play anybody, I'll play them.' He's a great team member."
Weir carried himself and Ernie Els to a 3 and 1 Four-Ball victory over U.S. Team members Zach Johnson and Charles Howell III during the second day of competition.
It was Weir who made birdie on No. 2 to keep the match all square. Weir who sent them 1 up with a birdie on the seventh hole and immediately followed that with another birdie to make it a 2-hole International advantage. Weir who pushed them to 3 up by making par on No. 11 when the other three couldn't. Weir even ended it with a flourish on the par-3 17th hole by shooting a dagger that landed 6 feet, 10 inches from the hole.
Noticing a pattern?
"He played some amazing golf today. I was trying to steady the ship but Mike made the putts and it was awesome golf," Els said.
The big question at the beginning of the week was how Weir would fare in the spotlight, with the hopes of Canada resting on the Sarnia, Ontario, native's shoulders. The 37-year-old Weir missed the cut in his first 10 years of playing in front of partisan crowds at the Canadian Open presented by Fidelity Investments from '89-'99 then tied for 70th in 2000. In 2001 Weir finally finished just outside the top 30. For the next three years, he progressively performed better and even earned a runner-up finish in 2004, when he lost a heartbreakingly close one to Singh.
Weir hasn't made much noise in his home country since, so returning for an event on The Presidents Cup's scale -- and one that he helped bring to Canada, no less -- raised a big "what will happen?"
"It's a lot different than a typical Canadian Open week for me. With 11 other teammates, we're doing everything together. Obviously I've got a lot of attention on me this week, but we like to say there's 11 other adopted Canadians this week.
"But at the same time, to have the support that I've had this week, and, you know, walking on every hole, it just kind of gives me goosebumps actually to think about it."
Weir contributed a point to the International effort on Friday and gave the squad their only half point on Thursday. He now has a 4-2-0 record in Four-Ball during his four Presidents Cup appearances and a 9-6-1 record overall.
One of Weir's seven wins on the PGA TOUR came at the 2003 Masters, so he knows what it's like to play under pressure in a big tournament. And, no matter what happens this week, the major winner expects it to be one of the best times during his golfing career.
"Winning the Masters was obviously very special; but I think when I look back on my career, hopefully way down the road, that this will be something really special. I don't know in my era if we'll ever be back here [to play The Presidents Cup] when I'm still playing, in Canada. Hopefully we'll be back here fairly soon.
"But it's been a pretty special week."
Unless the easygoing Weir asks otherwise, Player expects to play him in both the Foursomes and Four-Ball matches on Saturday even though two players from each side have to sit out during the morning and afternoon sessions. Weir -- who was selected by Player to come to the Presidents Cup after Weir turned his year around mid-season, earning top-10s at the AT&T National and British Open -- is already scheduled to play the early foursomes match with Singh.
"(Weir)'s swinging the club so much better now than he was during the year. During the year, he was keeping all his weight on his left side and reverse-pivoting when he hit the ball and now he's got his head still but he's getting his weight back, and he's a different golfer," Player said.
"And I am so pleased that he's played so well these two days. Obviously in front of his own people, I cannot tell you how excited I am."
| STANDINGS | ||
| Results | Points | |
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US TEAM | 19.5 |
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INTERNATIONAL TEAM | 14.5 |
| Leaderboard | ||