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By John Maginnes, PGATOUR.com Contributor

Mike Weir has become the face of Canadian golf. Since he won the Air Canada Championship in Vancouver eight years ago, the hopes of the nation have been high for the lefty and rarely has he disappointed.

Mike Weir's 67 on Saturday matched his lowest round at a Canadian Open. (Stan Badz/PGA TOUR/WireImage)

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

WEIR IN THE CANADIAN OPEN

Year Score Result 2006 +5 145 CUT 2005 +6 146 CUT 2004 -9 279 2 2003 -3 277 10 2002 -9 279 T22 2001 -2 278 T34 2000 +2 290 70 1999 +3 147 CUT 1998 +10 154 CUT 1997 +14 154 CUT 1996 +1 145 CUT 1995 +5 149 CUT 1994 +4 148 CUT 1993 +5 149 CUT 1992 +14 158 CUT 1989 +7 151 CUT

• Mike Weir's Player Page

Mike's list of accomplishments and victories should be enough to satisfy even the most ardent fans. However, every year the former Masters champion arrives at the Canadian Open with his country's expectations high. The Canadian Open is far more than a typical PGA TOUR event for him. It is a national championship. It is Mike's national championship.

He had his best shot in 2004 when he lost to Vijay Singh in a playoff. Even Vijay was reluctant to accept congratulations for dispatching Canada's favorite son. Of course, the dejected galleries were polite, but their disappointment was masked behind applause.

From the beginning of the 2003 season through 2004, Mike was easily one of the world's best players. During that two-year stretch, he won four times -- including his first major at Augusta National. Mike's back-to-back victories at Riviera Country Club put him in a distinguished category that includes Ben Hogan and Corey Pavin. During that stretch, he climbed into the top three in the Official World Golf Ranking.

It would be unfair to say that Mike fell into a slump after his 2004 Nissan Open victory, although he hasn't won since. He did finish second the following year at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am to Phil Mickelson. He had six top-10 finishes and finished 33 on the money list in 2006.

This season got off to a bit of a dubious start for the seven-time PGA TOUR winner. His first top-10 came a few weeks ago at the AT&T National hosted by Tiger Woods. He followed that up with a solid Open Championship, where he earned his ninth top-10 finish in a major championship. His tie for eighth at Carnoustie moved Mike back into the top 40 in the world.

None of that means a thing to Mike the week of the Canadian Open, which this year is presented by Franklin Templeton Investments. Mike is identified with the Canadian Open. He is the sentimental favorite every year. No player, defending champion or otherwise, is asked to do more at any tournament than when Mike is when playing in his home country. He handles media obligations and social responsibilities that begin well before the first tee shot is hit on Thursday to long after the champion is crowned on Sunday night.

Because Mike is the face of professional golf in Canada, he must be a member of the International Team for this year's Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal. Coming into the Canadian Open, he ranked 17th in the International Team standings. The three-time Presidents Cupper brings a lot more to this particular renewal than any other player in the world. In the absence of a Canadian presence at Royal Montreal, the American Team could potentially have the home-field advantage. One man can change all that, though.

There will certainly be plenty of Americans golf fans making the trek to Montreal in September and they will be heard in the galleries. However, Canadians who may otherwise not be partisan will have no trouble choosing allegiances if their favorite son is pitted against the Stars and Stripes.

While it would probably take a miracle for Mike to win the Canadian Open on Sunday coming from seven strokes back, a Presidents Cup victory seems far more attainable. Perhaps some day he will be able to get the Canadian Open monkey off his back. Trying to win at home is something that every player on TOUR struggles with -- but the circumstances for Canada's best ever are decidedly different.

Winning the Presidents Cup, on the other hand, could become a reality. Mike Weir on the International Team at the Presidents Cup could be bad news for the Americans who have never won the Cup on foreign soil. And with Mike on the team, Canada will be more foreign than ever.