Mike Weir reminisces about beating Tiger Woods at the 2007 Presidents Cup, receiving praise from Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player
International Team captain for the 2024 Presidents Cup, Mike Weir, is among the few players to have defeated Tiger Woods in a top event. Such was the magnitude of the achievement that the Canadian still recalls that moment with great clarity.
Weir recently shared his memories of beating Woods, describing it as a "memorable day". The Team shared his recollection on X.
"2007 Sunday morning. Get up, have breakfast, reading the paper, and I read an article that said, 'This match is going to be like feeding a lamb to a lion,'" Mike Weir said. "It made me more motivated to be more focused to, you know, get in my head that I'm going to win this match.
So, I went to the first tee with that attitude. I got off to a nice start. As I walked back to the 18th tee, match was tied, there's a lot of adrenaline pumping because I just made a big putt to pull even and Jack Nicklaus was standing on the tee."
One of Weir's day's highlights was when US Team Captain Jack Nicklaus congratulated him on his tee shot on the 18th hole.
"I had the honors after winning the last hole and hit a beautiful tee shot. As I was walking off that tee, I felt Jack pulling on the back of my shirt a little bit and said, 'Hey, that was a great tee shot.' He knew that it's a tough moment, I'm playing Tiger and to stand up there and hit a tee shot like that, the crowd really waking up 18th was incredible."
"Gary Player [International Team Captain] was incredible. He walked over to give a hug in the fairway. It was a memorable day," Weir added.
The 2007 edition was Weir's fourth Presidents Cup.
A look at Mike Weir's 2007 Presidents Cup performance
On the first day, Mike Weir teamed up with Vijay Singh to tie Phil Mickelson and Woody Austin in foursomes. On the second, he teamed up with Ernie Els to defeat Dustin Johnson and Charles Howell III in four-balls.
A day later, the Canadian played two matches, first losing to Lucas Glover and Scott Verplank in foursomes with Singh, then teaming up with Els again in the afternoon to beat Glover and Howell III in four-balls.
On the fourth day came Weir's famous singles showdown with Tiger Woods, which went to 18 holes. Both players were tied on the 18th hole, which would determine the outcome.
As the story goes, Weir's tee shot hit the fairway, while Woods sent his into a water hazard. Weir hit an approach that left the ball 15 feet away, while Woods had the chance to save par with a wedge from just outside the green.
Woods' ball stopped just two inches short of the hole, and the 15-time major champion conceded the putt and the victory to Weir. By then, the American team was celebrating victory.
Mike Weir's overall record for this edition was three wins, one draw, and one loss (3.5 points out of a possible five).