Golf: Canadian Open musings

Hollywood couldn't have come out with a better script at the Canadian Open golf championship.

In the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Open, exactly 50 years since a Canadian last won, Mike Weir seemed destined to win at a toughened Glen Abbey Golf Club.

Too bad Weir couldn't read -- a putt, that is.

The Canadian hope started the day three up and briefly led by four before coming unglued. Vijay Singh did what he usually does to win -- he hung around and let the other guy make the mistakes.

Weir bogeyed 11 and then, standing in the middle of the fairway at the par-5 13th and lying three, Weir promptly hit it on the upper shelf of the green and faced a treacherous downhill putt.

Not wanting to roll it past the hole and into the tangled rough on the other side, Weir barely touched the ball and it moved perhaps six feet.

He bogeyed.

At the difficult par-4 sixteenth (it played as a par-five for 20 years before being switched back.

Yours truly suggested the change in an earlier article), Weir drilled one to eight feet.

A birdie would have given him a three-shot cushion, but no, he three putts for bogey.

Standing on 18 and with a one shot lead, Weir watches Singh make birdie and it is a tie game.

Weir splits the fairway with his drive, dumps a 7-iron into a bunker, misses the ten-footer and it's playoff time.

After routine birdies, Weir is handed the Championship on a silver platter at the second playoff hole when he faces a 5-footer for par.

Even Singh concedes defeat to his caddy, but Weir pulls the putt.

Weir dumps it into the deep stuff at the third playoff hole, pitches out, and then dumps his approach into the drink.

Game over.

We'll hear how an over exuberant fan reached across the ropes and gave Weir half a hug as he made the long walk from the tenth green to the eleventh tee.

Granted, it was a dumb thing to do and some media are suggesting it threw Weir off since he basically caved in from there.

Perhaps it rattled him, but isn't this the same guy that says he's so much tougher mentally?

The Canadian media are being soft on Weir (what else is new?) but given his penchant for losing 54-hole leads (he's 1-6 now and barely hung on earlier in L.A.), his killer instinct comes into question.

Down there on a media pass to do some features (I skipped Sunday due to mild food poisoning) I was surprised this never came up.

Weir is pampered by many scribes here who refuse to question his tenacity.

Earlier in the week, SCOREGolf editor Bob Weeks did a fawning televised interview with Weir.

"Weeksy" and "Weirsy" (no, I'm not making this up, that is what they call each other) spoke of Weir's struggles at Glen Abbey where he's made 2 of 11 cuts.

The implication was that they really didn't count because Weir wasn't a PGA Tour regular during most of that time and not the player he is today.

Huh?

Since when do poor results not count until you reach a certain level?

Isn't that the same thing as saying it's okay for a team to lose because they're not as good? Damn, I wish I felt well enough to be in that interview room on Sunday.

I've been accused of not liking Weir and being hard on him.

I think he's a terrific golfer and with seven wins, including a Masters, he's the best golfer Canada has ever produced.

He's a genuinely nice guy and a great ambassador for the game.

At the same time, I don't give him (or anyone else for that matter) special attention because of nationality.

Once someone is on the world stage then the bar of expectations is automatically raised to reflect that.

If praise is given for victory, then analysis and even criticism must of necessity also be given -- it works both ways.

As far as the broadcast Sunday: it's funny how folks in Canada accuse our neighbors to the south of jingoism, yet commentators here are just as bad.

Each time Weir hit a poor shot analyst Jim Nelford hollered "Oh no!," and when Weir had a chance for eagle on the first playoff hole after a terrific shot from deep rough, Nelford yelled "Yes!" at the top of his lungs.

When Weir put his drive into the deep rough on the final playoff hole, analyst Sandra Post seemed on the verge of tears as she sized up his lie.

Only the smooth Rod Black kept things in perspective by insisting the tournament was far from over with nine holes left.

There is no doubt Weir felt the pressure and it's no easy task to hold the lead for three rounds -- especially for such an important event to Canadians.

I felt for Weir when he found water but such is golf. Did Weir choke as some fans are suggesting?

No, that is a harsh expression and unfair in the end.

It's iniquitous to say golf all comes down to one shot since that missed putt Thursday morning counts just as much as the big one Sunday -- they all add up.

Weir admitted he may have tried too hard for Canada, but he'll take his medicine and be back.