Drew Weaver made his first cut ever at a PGA tournament, and finished at 9-over, in 40th place at the 2009 U.S. Open. Weaver's flair endeared him to the gallery and helped establish his very young reputation among golf's elite.
The former Virginia Tech star placed in the top 10 early by posting a first round score of 1-under 69.
Unpredictable weather hovered over the course all weekend, with early forecasts of periods with heavy rain causing many course officials to worry about finishing the championship before Tuesday. Images of the prestigious course at Bethpage State Park showed flooded greens and muddy bunkers. The first round did not end until midway through Friday. When Weaver wrapped up his first round, he was the briefly the clubhouse leader.
"The weather definitely affected everybody; having that much down time messed things up. As a tournament golfer you are used to a routine every day. I probably warmed up eight times in a four-round tournament. It can throw you out of rhythm for sure," Weaver said.
As the second round spilled over into Saturday, the pressure on Weaver turned up drastically. Weaver fell to 2-over late in his round. With the projected cut line at 4-over, it was clear there was hardly any room for error closing the round.
He responded with authority, making a 25-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole (his final hole, he teed off on the 10th). He threw a Tiger Woods-like fist pump in the air and scampered across the green to retrieve the ball that would keep him in Farmingdale, N.Y. for the weekend.
Not only did he do his best Tiger impersonation, he outplayed the world's No. 1 player through the first two rounds. Tiger was 3-over at the cut, two shots behind Weaver.
"I didn't even realize that until (after the tournament), but it is pretty cool anytime you can outplay the world's number one." Weaver was the second best amateur of the tournament, finishing one stroke behind Canadian Nick Taylor, who at one point was 2-under in the third round.
Round three was a trying one for Weaver, who bogied the fourth and sixth holes to hit a 2-over 37 on the front nine. He bogied three of the first four holes on the back, including a triple bogey on the 10th, but he also hit three birdies on that set as well to finish the day at 4-over. For the second straight day, he ended his round with a birdie on the final hole.
He entered the final round tied for 40th at 5-over. Once again he was 2-over par on the front nine, this time bogeying the second and eighth holes. This time on 10 he only bogied, but couldn't stay on par for some of the rest of the back nine.
Despite some newfound struggles in the final two rounds, the former first-team all-ACC golfer and British Amateur Open champion ended his U.S. Open with a bang.
He once again birdied the final hole of the day, with a three on the par-four 18th hole to hit his second straight 74, and wrap up the tournament at 9-over.
Weaver showed strong emotion all weekend long, and played with excitement through every hole.
"He always feeds off of pressure," Tech golf coach Jay Hardwick said, "he is better when he is at the top and playing well."
That was evident, as Weaver seemed to have long streaks of either great play or bogies. The first two rounds seemed to carry Weaver through the tournament, playing off his early success.
"I had really good focus the whole week, but any pro golfer is going to be nervous, thankfully I managed my nerves throughout the week," Weaver said. "After a good start, I didn't really re-evaluate. I was just on track with how I hoped I would play and not let my thoughts wander."
One of the best things Weaver can take from qualifying for this tournament is he is now exempt from the first round op PGA Q-school, the qualifying circuit to make the tour.
"Q-school is so difficult, it is a great break for him to be able to skip the first level, it is a great help for him to continue his journey to the pros," Hardwick said.
His performance is a great representation of the Tech golf program, and he will be the Hokies' flag-bearer of the PGA tour for years to come.
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