FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- For the aspiring players, in the words of both, it was a dream come true.
For the veteran, it was a little bit of paying back.
He still cuts a youthful figure, so it's hard to think of Mike Weir as one of the old guard of Canadian professional golf.
But he played the role of grizzled mentor yesterday during a practice round over the many, many yards of the brawny Bethpage Black Course, sharing with young Canadian pro Andrew Parr and amateur Nick Taylor his experience gleaned over 10 previous trips to the U.S. Open, including in 2002, the first time it was held here.
"When I'm playing with them, I don't feel that old," said Weir, who turned 39 last month. "I am getting up there. It's great, though. I get a kick out of watching these guys. I root for them. I watch the Canadian Tour, I watch what they're doing. We've got a lot of talent in these young guys. Hopefully, they'll get out here and take over from me.
"I'm excited for them. They've got to be excited to be here and play. They're here a lot earlier than I was. I didn't make (it into the U.S. Open) until I was almost 30 years old. They're doing it a younger age. It's great to see. It's good for Canadian golf to get these guys going."
Parr, the 26-year-old from London, Ont., who's in his third year on the Canadian Tour, and Taylor, a 21-year-old All-American with the Washington Huskies from Abbotsford, B.C., qualified for this Open together, grabbing the two spots available in sectional qualifying at Tumble Creek Golf Course in Roslyn, Wash., Taylor shooting 66-70 and Parr, 71-67.
What will be a memorable week for them got off to a memorable start yesterday.
"This is unreal. I'm not going to lie," said Parr. "This is a dream come true. I'm 12 years old and watching Mike Weir play golf, seeing him win PGA Tour events and winning the Masters. Getting a chance to play with him in a practice round here, it's one of those things you dream about and you try and pursue your whole life. At times it was really surreal. It was awesome."
"It's kind of a dream come true to play with him, looking up to him, growing up playing golf and now being able to play with him was pretty cool," said Taylor, the fifth-ranked amateur in the world who's playing in his second U.S. Open after qualifying for Torrey Pines last year (he missed the cut by three strokes).
'GOOD QUESTIONS'
"I asked what's changed for him over the last 10 or 15 years from when he was playing the Canadian Tour to now. I was just picking his brain as much as I could through the day."
"They were asking about the steps I took to get out there, the six or seven years it took me, those experiences and those are good questions to ask," said Weir.
As they stood on the tee of the downhill, par-3 eighth hole, listed at 210 yards, but with a back right flag yesterday, Parr asked Weir and caddie Brennan Little, "What did you guys play it at?"
"I played the yardage, 220," said Weir.
Earlier, on the par-3 third hole, Weir stalked the green, showing his younger competitors where holes might be cut for the tournament, where to land shots and how they might expect them to behave.
"He's really crafty and knows where he's going to miss shots and where the pins are going to be. It was really cool to see him dissect the course and formulate a game plan from there," said the lanky Parr. "I think Mike just has great insight as a veteran. Really smart. This is a different week compared to regular weeks. He showed me a lot of tough pins out there and how to play the course, not to challenge too much when you don't have to and take advantage of the opportunities when you do have them."
Weir set up the practice round, a generous gesture in a sport that has been known for established players giving youngsters the cold shoulder.
Weir was quick to answer yesterday when asked if there was somebody who had helped him in his early days on Tour and if that had influenced him to pay it forward.
"Zoke," he said, referring to former PGA Tour player Richard Zokol.
"He was good to me and he was a good guy to call once in a while when I had questions. He's the guy."
Weir passed the gift along yesterday to a couple of thrilled kids, who can only hope in another 15 years it will be their turn to do the giving.
