Mike Weir Off To Great Start At Canadian Open

When things start going right for Mike Weir in front of the home crowd, he feels as though nothing can go wrong.

The popular lefty found himself in just that kind of groove Thursday while shooting a bogey-free 65 that left him tied for the early RBC Canadian Open lead with Anthony Kim and Eric Axley.

Richard Johnson, J.P. Hayes, Nicholas Thompson and Ryan Armour opened with 67s while Kenneth Ferrie was also at 4 under with three holes left when play was stopped due to heavy rain and thunderstorms.

It would be difficult to find a fan at Glen Abbey that doesn’t want to see Weir win this week. All of that positive energy creates an atmosphere that Weir feeds off when he starts playing well.

“I think that’s what Tiger gets a lot,” he said. “Someone was asking me how he makes these putts on the last hole. (It’s because) he believes he can make it. The crowd believes he can make it. It’s all the right stuff going in the right direction.

“It’s nice to have that one time, one week. When people are pulling for you, sometimes there is a feeling like you just can’t miss.”

An early tee time also benefited Weir because he was able to finish his entire first round before a storm rolled in before 1 p.m. and caused a lengthy delay. Calgary’s Stephen Ames had hit only one shot while two-time defending champion Jim Furyk didn’t even get started.

Just 31 of 156 players had completed their rounds. Weir was the only Canadian to get in 18 holes.

Weir started on the back nine and picked up shots at Nos. 13 and 15 by sinking putts of roughly 15 feet. That got his name on the digital leaderboards and sent spectators hustling to find him on the course.

The native of Bright’s Grove, Ont., gave them plenty more to watch after making the turn as he rolled in a 25-footer at No. 2 before adding further birdies at Nos. 4, 5 and 9. Weir took just 25 putts during his entire round.

“You don’t do that around this golf course too often,” he said. “Glen Abbey played about as easy as it could today. The greens are soft, the fairways are soft — if you can hit it straight, you’re going to do OK.

“I drove the ball nice today and made some nice putts.”

That was roughly the same formula that Kim and Axley used during their six-under 65s — Kim needed 25 putts while Axley got around with just 24.

As the top-ranked player in the event, the 23-year-old Kim had already received plenty of attention before his solid opening round. The biggest thing he’s had to overcome here was getting readjusted to the Eastern time zone after spending last week in England for the British Open.

“I really didn’t feel comfortable until today,” said Kim, who already has two PGA Tour wins this season. “And yesterday playing 15 holes, my game was a little bit off. My putter was off. Everything was just a little bit rusty it felt like.

“I definitely feel like I have my legs under me now, and I’m ready to go.”

Axley took a little while to settled into his round.

The 34-year-old American was just 2 under when he reached the 15th tee before putting up a finish that anyone near the lead on Sunday would love to replicate — birdie, birdie, par, eagle.

“From the fairway you could get at these pins today,” said Axley. “It was so soft.”

That isn’t likely to change as Glen Abbey has been hit with more than 200 millimetres of rain in the last six days.

It’s bound to make for a long few days as organizers try to keep the tournament on pace for a Sunday finish. In addition to the weather, the two American co-leaders also know they’ll have to contend with a gallery that fully supports Weir.

“The people love him here and rightfully so,” said Kim. “What he’s done for Canadian golf is wonderful and something to be very proud of.

“I know I have an uphill climb. He’s a great player.”

Weir’s 65 matched his best-ever score in 47 career rounds at the Canadian Open. It was also the first time he’d broken 70 in the opening round of any tournament so far this year.

The success might have something to do with playing in front of Canadian fans. Prior to Thursday, the last time Weir had gone through a meaningful round on home soil was when he beat Tiger Woods in a singles match at the Presidents Cup in September.

One of the key moments during that match at Royal Montreal was when the Canadian rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt at No. 17 to square things up. He then took the final hole for a 1-up victory.

“I use that example of the 17th hole at the Presidents Cup,” Weir said when asked about what he likes about playing in Canada. “I heard (TV announcer Johnny Miller’s) comment: `Mike, you don’t even have to hit this putt. It’s just going to be willed in.’

“And there is something to that when you have that much pull from the crowd. Sometimes you just feel like you can’t miss them.”