Landslide fan favorite Weir gets vote of confidence in Canada

MONTREAL -- They say that Quebec Premier Jean Charest isn't much of a golf fan, but he can surely gauge the way the political winds are blowing

Walking inside the gallery ropes at the Presidents Cup on Sunday, he didn't need polls or political gadflies to give him the lay of the land. He didn't need either of the two secret service-type guys who spent the day whispering into their shirtsleeves to protect him from the obvious, either.

Tiger Woods congratulates the victorious Mike Weir after their fantastic match comes to an end. (Getty Images)

If a popularity contest had been held at Royal Montreal Golf Club, Charest would have lost his job in a landslide.

"I'd be happy to let it go, for just one day," Charest cracked.

The king for a day, if not the entire week, sent his countrymen home with a smile when Mike Weir battled back to beat Tiger Woods 1 up to record an important moral victory during an otherwise disappointing day.

The American won the cup in convincing fashion, but the talk of the town was the gritty Weir, who was added to the team as a controversial wild-card selection, mostly because of his nationality, yet finished the week with the best record on the International team.

"For the pressure that he had all week, it was pretty phenomenal how he dealt with it and how he played," said Woods, who knows a little something about being a tournament show pony. "Not a lot of people could have dealt with the things he faces all week, the expectations, the pressure, the questioning of whether he should be picked for the team or not.

"The way he came out and played this week and represented all of Canada was impressive."

Nobody knows it better than Woods, who erased a 3-hole deficit to take a 1-up lead into the 17th, only to have the Canadian steal it right back by winning the last two holes.

For Weir, a former Masters winner who hasn't won on the PGA Tour in 3½ years, the week felt almost as rewarding as winning a major championship.

"It's right there with it," he said. "To play Tiger, obviously he's the best there is and I had to play my absolute best to beat him.

"For me, being from Canada, to have this kind of support, it's overwhelming. When I look back at my career, it might be more special than the Masters."

That might sound like a stretch, but like Charest, you should have heard the cheers Weir received every time he hit a shot or so much as hitched up his pants. For instance, he and Woods were playing the front nine when Weir received yet another ovation as they approached a green. Finally, after the applause subsided, one Canadian fella yelled, "I like you, too, Tiger, just not today."