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HAMILTON — Before there was a rink hole, before there were golf tournament concerts, before Johnson Wagner or Graham DeLaet’s moustache had grown a single whisker, Mike Weir was grinding hard to try to win the Canadian Open.

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On Thursday, making his 31st consecutive start at his national open — one off the record — the 54-year-old International Presidents Cup captain made six birdies at Hamilton Golf Club and shot a two-under 68. Entering the tournament happy with some putting changes he’s recently made, Weir was low man in his group and low Canadian after the morning wave.

But Mike Weir wouldn’t be Mike Weir if he wasn’t constantly searching for more.

“A day like today’s going to be up and down. There’s gusty winds, swirling around winds, you’re going to hit some shots that don’t turn out great because of the wind changing right when you make impact sometimes,” he said after the round. “Overall it was very good. I hit a lot of really good iron shots. That was the key to the day for me today. I didn’t find as many fairways as I would have liked, that’s been a strength of my game lately, so try to sharpen that up for tomorrow.”

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Sharpening things up for tomorrow is what Weir has been doing for a lifetime in golf. In good times, in bad times, when healthy, when injured, he’s always somewhere trying to figure out ways to improve. Or problem solve, as Weir often puts it.

It’s no surprise that one of Weir’s idols is Ben Hogan. Years ago I asked Weir if he ever thinks of Hogan’s legendary single-minded pursuit for a swing to rely on. I’ll never forget his answer.

“More than you’d ever know,” he said.

Weir spent six years on mini-tours before his career took off and he eventually became a household name in Canada. That was far before he became the man that fellow Canadian Mackenzie Hughes described on Wednesday as a “Godfather-like figure.”

(It should be noted that Hughes was referring to The Godfather’s good traits, as in “Always there when you need him,” not the, um, other stuff.)

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Times and circumstances have changed in Weir’s life over the years, but the determination and work ethic hasn’t. I documented it in April at the Masters, so in some ways this feels redundant, but we’re here to tell the story in front of us, and at the time he walked off the course, no Canadian had shot a better score than the 2003 Masters winner.

Not defending champion Nick Taylor, or PGA Tour winner Taylor Pendrith; not Roger Sloan who played in his group; nor any of a number of up-and-coming Canadians half his age.

Speaking of half his age, Canadian sports fans who don’t watch golf frequently will likely notice that the 2024 version of Weir looks very much like, or possibly somehow better than, the version from a decade or more ago. We asked him about this, and if he had any advice for aging weekend warriors.

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‘GOOD GENES’

“Pay attention to things. I pay attention to what I eat. I’m very good about stretching and mobility. That’s a big thing as you get a little bit older,” he said. “You want to keep some strength, but you just want to stay mobile. I still feel like I can move pretty well. I really pay attention to just staying mobile, that’s the big thing.

“Stuff that you didn’t have to think as much about when you were 30, but as you get older you definitely have to,” he said. “Probably some good genes, too.”

Next year, Weir is set to tie George Cumming for most career Canadian Open starts with his 32nd.

This year is a busy one for Weir, who will lead the International team into Royal Montreal at this September’s Presidents Cup. But Weir said he’s here in Hamilton to focus on himself and his own game. The Presidents Cup captaincy — which he calls one of the greatest honours of his career in the game — will quickly return as the focus next week.

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It’s a slightly foolish question to ask Weir why he does it, why he has no interest in slowing down and putting his feet up. It’s kind of like asking a chair why it’s a chair, or a dog what the big deal with bones is.

“I have belief in myself and I feel like I still have the tools to compete when things are on,” he said. “Like I said, the last few years I just have not been putting very well. I’m hoping this change really helps and spurs me on to some good golf here going forward.

“I don’t know. I just love the game. I love to practice. I love to compete. Go ask Bernhard (Langer) at 67 why he’s still doing it. You know, you love the competition, and when you have that belief in yourself and you feel like you can still do it, why not?”

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