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“(On Thursday), I warmed up, I hit some shots, everything was going well …” Weir said. “And I’m like, that’s enough.”

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That, for Weir, is a good sign.

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“When you’re not playing well, you feel like, oh, I got to hit some more irons, got to work on my driver, got to do this and that, and you feel like you’re trying to play catch up a little bit,” continued Weir. “I don’t feel that this week. I feel like my game feels good now. I’ve just got to go execute and play.”

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Execution, especially on the greens, could determine whether Calgary gets to see the version of Weir that briefly appeared in 2021.

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Putting has traditionally been one of the strengths of his game. So has the short game. But Weir said those parts of his game haven’t been consistent enough on the PGA TOUR Champions circuit.

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“I’d say overall, I haven’t putted,” Weir said. “That’s always probably been the hallmark of my game is my short game, wedge game, putting … and it just hasn’t been there on PGA TOUR Champions yet consistently.”

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He saw some encouraging signs at Ohio’s Firestone Country Club at the Kaulig Companies Championship last month, where better putting helped him play well.

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Now he needs to reproduce that over three rounds here.

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“You got to make those six-footers once in a while for par to kind of keep momentum going,” said the 2003 Masters champ and eight-time PGA Tour winner. “And execute when you’re hitting your irons good and hit them close. You’ve got to execute those and make those, and I haven’t been doing that.”

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The course itself doesn’t intimidate him.

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If anything, Weir believes the key is fairly straightforward: drive the golf ball well and hit the fairways.

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Canyon Meadows has had some rain the last few weeks, leaving thicker rough that can make approaches considerably more difficult. For a field playing a 54-hole tournament where there is little room for mistakes, Weir sees that as a potentially decisive factor.

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“If you hit it in the rough, even though it’s not super deep, it’s hard to control the ball in to the green,” Weir said. “You’re going to struggle.”

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So perhaps the secret to Weir’s Calgary breakthrough isn’t particularly complicated.

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Keep it in the fairway. Give himself enough good looks. Make the six-footers. Avoid the mistakes

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And get off to a good start.

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“In three-round events, you have to get off to a good start, and I haven’t been doing that this year,” said the native of Brights Grove, Ont. “So, hopefully, get off to a good start on Friday.”

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That would give the Calgary crowd something to work with.

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Weir knows what it sounds like when Canadian fans get behind him. He knows how much the atmosphere can add to a round.

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And this year, there is even a little more Canadian flavour waiting for him on the 16th hole, which is a

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Rogers Centre-themed hole saluting the Toronto Blue Jays’ 50th season of Major League Baseball.

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His walk-up song to tee-off at the Ballpark on 16 will be Tom Cochrane’s “Big League,” an iconic

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Canadian song written by one of Weir’s good friends.

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“I texted him the other day,” said Weir of the legendary Canadian singer. “So he was pumped about that.”

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It is a small touch, but it fits Weir’s approach to this tournament. He isn’t trying to manufacture emotion.

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He isn’t trying to force a moment.

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He simply wants to enjoy being home and, if his game cooperates, give the fans a reason to get loud.

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“It’s our only event here in Canada,” Weir said. “So to play at home … and to be out here with the Champions Tour guys (is great). And the fan support here is the best that we have on our Champions Tour.

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“Would it be extra special to play well here? Yeah, no doubt,” added Weir. “But I’m not putting extra pressure on myself. I want to go out there and play well for just the evolution of my game.”

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