Person of the Week: Drew Weaver

"We'd never been to Europe, and we thought we'd make it into a vacation," Weaver said. "I went over with really no expectation.  I just wanted to play my game." 

And that game was brilliant, as he cemented his win with a birdie on the 17th hole.

"I hit the putt and looked up, and it snuck in the right edge, and it was just an incredible feeling," he said. "So much relief, I was so physically and mentally spent."

But that wasn't the end of his European holiday, because the winner of the British Amateur Championship gets an automatic spot in the British Open, golf's oldest and most revered tournament. 

Weaver played Thursday and said on the first tee, when he hit a perfect shot, it was "such a great feeling."

Finding Optimism After Tragedy

Weaver will return to Virginia Tech in the fall as a junior and a changed person.

He said the horrific experience of the shooting spree this spring had a noticeable impact on his attitude toward his golf game, and gave him strength for his debut at the British Open.

"No matter if I hit a bad shot or have a bad hole or play a bad round, it can only get so bad like on the golf course today.  I mean I started out great, things were going well, but I struggled a little bit on the back nine. That's OK," he said. "I have a much more optimistic, positive perspective on things now."

He called the shooting one of those "life-changing moments."

"As long as I live it will always be a part of me," Weaver said. "It's something that I need to remember, and everything I do I want to honor the victims and represent the university."

Major tournament play isn't over yet for the college junior: Winning the British Amateur Championship also earned him a spot at next year's Masters Championship.

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