Weir still beaming over first Masters win and its perks

CHARLOTTE -- Winning the Masters comes with perks that Mike Weir never even considered.

It started the next night, when he dropped the puck for the ceremonial faceoff at a Stanley Cup playoff game in Toronto, drawing a cheer that was louder than anything he heard at Augusta National.

When he returned home to Draper, Utah, city officials named a street after Weir.

"That's something I didn't expect," he said.

The biggest thrill comes from the players. Weir got out of his courtesy car Tuesday morning at the Wachovia Championship and was stopped by just about everyone he saw. On the practice range, Joe Durant trotted some 50 yards just to congratulate him.

Several players told him about their own experiences watching him win. Davis Love III, who tied for 15th at the Masters, was driving his motor home back to Sea Island, Ga., with a friend who was watching TV and giving Love updates.

"It's hard to root against anyone when they're both such nice people," Love said of the playoff between Weir and Len Mattiace. "I just told him if there's one more 6-foot putt, I was going to crash."

Weir played his first round since the Masters on Tuesday. He plans to play Wachovia, the Byron Nelson Classic and the Memorial before the U.S. Open.

He's learning to budget all the requests for his time, but the real challenge could come late in the year. Along with the Presidents Cup in South Africa, Weir qualified for the PGA Grand Slam of Golf for the major champions.

He said he already has received two offers to play in offseason events, which is when he prefers to shut it down and quietly prepare for next year.