Weir hoping fans can help International team in Montreal

Mike Weir is hoping he can add an extra player to his International team at this year’s Presidents Cup. It won’t be one that will hit a shot, but he feels it can still have an impact on the results. The captain is counting on the fans at Royal Montreal Golf Club to play a part and he wants them to make sure the American team players know they are in enemy territory.

“It's a big part of this competition I believe,” he said, “and a big part of team golf where you can ride some momentum and the crowd gets behind you, and you can really feed off that.”

Weir knows first-hand how the fans can help. In the 2007 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal, crowds propelled him in his big singles match victory against Tiger Woods. Although it was meaningless in determining who would win the cup, for the Canadian fans it was Our Guy taking on the World’s Greatest Golfer. They offered support when Weir made a good shot, such as his key putt on 17 to tie the match and offered up a respectful applause when Woods did the same.

“I certainly did here in 2007,” Weir said of the backing he got. “Not only with my match playing Tiger, but just the other matches, you get the crowd energy, and you can raise your level a little bit. So it can be a huge factor. We're certainly hoping the fans come out hard and cheer a lot for our guys. Hopefully it is a factor.”

Weir also wants the fans this time around to be a little more pro International and not so nice to the U.S. side. They were just stereotypical polite Canadians 17 years ago. This time around, it would be nice to get under the skin of American golfers a little bit.

The Presidents Cup, along with the Ryder Cup, are rare golf events where fans are allowed to act as if they are at the Bell Centre when the Leafs visit the Canadiens. Cheering a miss and plain old booing and razzing the visiting team isn’t necessarily encouraged, but it happens.

The Ryder Cup has been the proving ground for jeering the away team. The vocal intensity and the lewdness of comments has grown from year to year, and country to country, and seems to increase along with the beer sales. In recent years, the comments have become harsher. The main targets have included Patrick Reed for the U.S. and Ian Poulter and Rory McIlroy for the Europeans.

Last year, Patrick Cantlay felt the brunt of the fans’ taunts when he wasn’t wearing a hat, and a report said it was because he didn’t get paid. Even though he dismissed that, he was met at every tee and green by fans waving their hats and booing.

By comparison, the Presidents Cup has been the polite relative, with cheers being reserved for good shots and fans biting their tongues after a key miss. There’s never been much edginess, no finger pointing or animosity rising up.

Weir wants to change that while still maintaining a measure of respectfulness. He’d love if the Americans found out that the term polite Canadian is just a stereotype and that they won’t be saying ‘Sorry’ if they boo one of the American players.

U.S. captain Jim Furyk played in 10 Ryder Cups and seven Presidents Cups and has seen what the fans can do, both good and bad. He knows how they can have an impact on the emotions of players and that his side won’t have many friends north of the border this week.

“We're very aware that we're in an away game,” he said of this week’s location. “We're very aware that 99 per cent of this crowd is not going to be pulling for us.”

‘Not pulling for us’ and ‘rooting against us’ are two different things. The latter can have more of an impact on influencing a golfer, for better or worse. Some can get thrown off their game by boos while others use it as fuel.

“I think there's a difference in this event, between the crowds that are rooting for you and rooting against you in a sense,” stated Corey Conners, one of three Canadians playing for the Internationals.

Conners felt the heat from the U.S. galleries two years ago in Charlotte. They weren’t cruel to him but the reacted with glee when he missed key putts allowing the Americans to win a hole, something that just doesn’t happen at regular PGA Tour events. He said he’s better prepared this year.

Mackenzie Hughes is a first timer for the Internationals, but he’s likely to be one of the major cheerleaders for his team, pumping up the Montreal fans. He believes that getting them amped up can be a difference maker.

“If it's worth half a point, a point, whatever it's worth, the louder they can be, the better,” he said, “because if I make a putt that they or Scottie (Adam Scott) hears on the next hole or the hole prior, that boosts your teammates.”

Those in attendance will get a chance to yell, scream or cheer right from the first tee. There’s a small stadium surrounding the area with room for just under 3,000 people. If they can carry that forward for the rest of the holes, the Internationals and Weir will applaud them right back.