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Notable accomplishment Weir relies on past experiences to right his game
SOTOGRANDE, Spain (AP) -- Mike Weir had every reason to believe he had shot himself out of the American Express Championship after the second round, when he hit two balls into the water on No. 17 and was eight strokes behind. All he wanted on the weekend was some momentum. He wound up with a lot more. By missing only three greens over the final 36 holes, the left-handed Canadian closed with rounds of 65-69 to win the final World Golf Championships event and finally get the best of Tiger Woods. "It feels fantastic," Weir said. "There were so many players with a chance to win. My plan was to just try to keep hitting the ball solid. That's how I was kind of able to keep my composure today." More importantly, Weir kept his composure on Friday. What he thought was a perfect 4-iron into the par-5 17th came up an inch short, the difference between a birdie and a double bogey. Weir tried to work out his problems on the range, but he was more successful studying in his hotel room. "I keep notes of certain tournaments that I play well, when my swing is feeling a certain way," he said. "I hit on a key that this is my sixth tournament in a row, and I think my posture was getting a little sloppy." He decided to stand a little more upright and started to see some immediate results. "Then I just carried it into the rest of the weekend," he said. While Weir started the final round just one stroke behind Hidemichi Tanaka, most of the focus was on Woods, who was trying to become the first player in 50 years to win 10 times on the PGA Tour in one season. Weir took the lead alone with a birdie on No. 8 and extended it to three strokes by nearly holing a 40-yard pitch shot for eagle on No. 11. As usual, however, any tournament at Valderrama is usually decided on the 17th, a par 5 with a green that slopes severely to the front, with tightly shaved grass sending everything into a small pond. Weir had a one-stroke lead over Nick Price and was two shots ahead of Woods when he got to the hole. As he reached the crest of the hill after a booming drive, he saw Woods taking a drop on his way to a double bogey that doomed his chances. Price, he discovered later, took a triple bogey and was no longer a contender. Had he been two strokes behind, Weir would have gone for the green. Since it was the other way around, "That made my decision a lot easier," he said. He hit short of the pond, but then hit his lob wedge over the back of the green. "It really surprised me how far that flew," he said. "Maybe there was a bit of adrenaline going there." At least he wasn't in the water. He made a delicate chip to save par, and even a bogey on the last hole couldn't spoil his mood. "This week, with the quality of the field and bouncing back from a little adversity, and pulling this out, will give me a lot of confidence," he said. Weir has some history bouncing back from disappointment. Just two years ago, he had to go back to PGA Tour qualifying school after narrowly failing to keep his card. He won Q-school, then became the first Canadian in 45 years to win a tour event on home soil in Vancouver. Even this summer was a struggle. But he nearly won the Michelob Championship, then turned in the top International performance in the Presidents Cup. And Weir not only won a World Golf Championship, he beat a field that included the No. 1 player. Weir faced Woods in the final round twice last year, losing to him in the Western Open and collapsing in the final round of the PGA Championship at Medinah. "He's the best player in the world," Weir said. "He was on a tremendous run, and still is. But I enjoy every opportunity to play against him."
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