AUGUSTA, Ga. -- He's finished with the reminiscences. Tired of them, is the suspicion. No more replays. Mike Weir is ready to start living in the moment again.

At 19 minutes after one this afternoon, Weir's year of glory will end when he hits his first shot of the 2004 Masters. He'll always be a Masters champ but, for the next four days, he becomes just another working stiff trying to win a green jacket.

"But there's a difference," Tiger Woods said. "Sure there's pressure to repeat. But the great thing about it for him is that he's the only one who has that opportunity."

"And believe me," Jack Nicklaus said, "every player in this field would like to have that problem."

It has been a demanding three days at Augusta National for Weir and he looked almost relieved to be able to dive headlong back into his game in the first round today.

In addition to his official function as host of the champions dinner, golf fans and media have been demanding plenty of his time.

"I've spent the past two days (practice rounds and dinner) with Mike and I'm tired just watching him," Fred Couples, the 1992 Masters winner, said. "It was fun for me to be out there with him, people calling his name, shouting encouragement. It's impressive to see how he handles it.

"It's a hard thing to do. Everyone wants a piece of you. I know that hosting the dinner is a nervous experience. You want everybody to have a good time and you want it all to go well.

"Believe me, it went well. He gave us some good food, some good wine and I thought the elk was delicious. Mike gave a little speech and it was just the right tone. He's a good guy and we really think the world of him."

It is impossible to measure the value of Weir's tour de force last season, especially his ability to handle the pressure of the stretch run, with the tournament hanging in the balance. Woods knows that feeling and recognizes it as a key asset in the quest for back-to-back titles.

"I know how to handle that coming down the stretch," Woods said. "Mike can say that, too. Past champions can say that. You know what it takes to win on this golf course and how to handle the nerves and you've proved it to yourself and everyone else."

By all accounts, Weir also handled the nerves well at the champions dinner, of which he was the host on Tuesday night.

"It was a great time, listening to all the old stories," Weir said. "Jackie Burke (the 1956 champ) was holding court, telling stories. I was sitting next to Byron Nelson and he was telling stories about his swing and the game. Fascinating stuff."

Weir estimated that at least 65-70% of the champions tried the elk prepared by Alastair MacKay, Weir's boyhood friend, now a professional chef.

"Everybody raved about it," Weir said.

Having been immersed in all the Masters rituals for an entire year, but especially the past three days, Weir's appreciation for this tournament and this golf course has intensified.

"I love all the traditions ... the dinner, the par-3 event, and just the fact that all the old champions can come back to play," he said. "It's all the little things they do here, the traditions. I feel part of it now and that's special."

Once the par-3 tournament was over yesterday, Weir -- who aced the 90-yard second hole -- said he was ready to get his game face on.

"I'll spend a little time on the range, then get some rest. I've put in a lot of work and I feel like I'm ready to go to the course with what I have now."

A year ago this morning, Weir wasn't at all sure what he was bringing to the golf course. Turns out he had the hottest putter in the field. In the end, he needed just 104 putts to get through 72 holes to earn a spot in the playoff against Len Mattiace.

Whoever wins the tournament will have to putt like that. the difference is Weir knows he has done it before.

"I'd love to putt that well again," he said. "I think I had 99 putts in L.A. (to win the Nissan Open) this year. When my putting's on, I can putt really well. It feels pretty good right now."

With a certain sense of relief, starting today he'll find out, one way or the other, if pretty good is good enough.