Weir feeling right at home at Augusta-like Ridgewood

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Mike Weir only had one bogey during Saturday's 67.

PARAMUS, N.J. -- The lead would be nice, of course, but Mike Weir is more than comfortable with his position entering the final round of The Barclays.

Weir trails Kevin Streelman by a stroke after firing a 67 Saturday that moved him to 7 under through 54 holes of the first event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. Oh, and did we mention that Weir has come-from-behind in seven of his eight PGA TOUR victories?

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Weir leads the field in Greens in Regulation this week.

MIKE WEIR

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"That's true, for whatever reason," Weir acknowledged. "I can't put my finger on it. ... I would like to be in the lead sometime and telling you how I'll stretch a lead out from in front. I am coming from behind here and it is a comfortable place for me I guess and we'll see what happens for me tomorrow.

"But there are so many guys there, I know tomorrow I'll probably have to play a little more aggressively."

So many, indeed. Weir joins Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia and Paul Casey, who will be his playing partner in the penultimate group on Sunday, at 7 under. Not to mention, there are a total of 21 players within four strokes of the lead after Steve Stricker had a meltdown of a 43 on the back nine and dropped seven shots from 11 under.

"I was surprised," Weir said. "I thought if I could get to 8, that would get me within two or three of the lead and I was surprised to look up when I tapped in there to see that the guys had come back.

"It's going to be a tight race tomorrow, a lot of guys, and you're going to have to shoot a low one tomorrow, probably 4 or 5 under, 6 under, maybe, to win this thing, with that many guys close to the lead. ... It's going to be a bit of a shootout tomorrow."

The 2003 Masters champ was steady on Saturday, making five birdies and dropping just one shot to par. He sank an 11-footer at No. 1, got up and down from beside the green at the par-5 third and rolled in a 19-footer for birdie at No. 4 to make the turn in 32.

A three-putt bogey at the 10th hole was just a momentary blip on the radar screen. Ridgewood was giving up birdies grudgingly as the afternoon progressed, but Weir managed two more from 11 and 6 feet, respectively, at Nos. 14 and 15 to cozy up to the leaders.

"The course (was) biting back a little bit," said Weir, who played with Ben Curtis on Saturday. "I got off to a great start and we were both 3 under through four holes, and the greens were soft and receptive. As the day wore on, the wind picked up. I thought there was some really good pin positions out there; tough to get close to the hole.

"The greens really firmed up. And even that little 10 mph wind, the big trees, it has that Augusta feel where you think it's going this way and it might go this way and that's the difference between maybe having a 10-footer or a 30-footer. So it got a little bit tricky out there near the end of the day."

Weir hasn't had the greatest of years, but he does have three top-10s, including a tie for fifth in the RBC Canadian Open last month. He says some added attention to his short game -- particularly his wedges -- has been the reason for the turnaround, and that confidence could be key at Ridgewood on Sunday.

"I am putting a little bit better, but I think my overall wedge game is a lot better," Weir said. "A lot of little wedges that I had into a hole like 5, where you can either drive the green or lay it up; well, I feel confident laying up because my wedge game feels good ... and some of the par 5s, I've hit some wedges close.

"That's my game, I need to wedge it close. I'm not the longest driver so I have to convert some birdies when I have a wedge in my hand. ... Almost two years with the new swing coaches I've been using, I've spent a lot of time working on my swing and finally got it through my skull to start working on my short game a little harder.

"That's probably why I've been playing a little better this week."

And don't discount the Playoffs beard Weir is sporting. He started growing it during a family vacation on a lake in southern Utah last week. He decided to keep it -- a throwback to the PSA he filmed for the Playoffs with Wayne Gretzky -- although he's not sure what his wife will think when she sees him next week at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

"That's the approval you're talking about, right?" Weir said with a smile when a reporter wondered if he had the OK to keep the hirsute look a little longer.

Whether he decides to shave or not, though, Weir knows what he needs to do to win the FedExCup. He entered The Barclays seeded 43rd and the 11,000 points that go to Sunday's champion would vault him to No. 1 in the standings with three Playoff events left.

"Obviously it would be a big accomplishment to win the FedExCup," Weir said. "It's right up there wit the World Golf Championships and moving towards, hopefully, the majors. It's obviously young and in its inception here in the second year and it's going to keep getting better.

"With this year's points, it's created a lot more excitement and a lot more volatility with guys moving up and down. I think it will just keep getting better as the years go on."