When Mike Weir (Stats | Bio) shot 3-over-par 75 in the third round of the 2003 Masters Tournament, most observers thought he was done.

In the history of the tournament, which started in 1934, only four players had come back from third-round scores that high to win.

Sam Snead (1952) and Nick Faldo (Stats | Bio) (1989) won despite shooting 77s in the third round, and Byron Nelson (Stats | Bio) (1937) and Jack Burke (Stats | Bio) Jr. (1956) overcame third-round 75s to win.

Anyone who counted Weir out didn't know his track record. In each of his five PGA Tour victories - including two in 2003 before the Masters - Weir had come from behind in the final round to win.

So going into the final round at Augusta National Golf Club, Weir was right where he wanted to be - two shots behind leader Jeff Maggert (Stats | Bio) .

In the closing round, Weir chased down Maggert, his playing partner, and held off Len Mattiace (Stats | Bio) to bring much-needed drama to the tournament. It had been five years since the champion won by fewer than two shots.

Weir had to play an extra hole to win this one.

Mike Weir (Stats | Bio) tees off on 9 during the third round of the 2003 Masters. (Chris Thelen/Augusta Chronicle)

He closed with a bogey-free 68 for 7-under 281 total, which matched Mattiace, who had 65. Weir won the sudden-death playoff, the sixth in tournament history but the first since 1990, with a bogey on the first hole, the par-4 10th.

Weir became the first left-hander and the first Canadian to win the Masters.

Tiger Woods (Stats | Bio) , seeking a historic third consecutive Masters title, wasn't a factor in the rain-plagued tournament (the first round was postponed, forcing the field to play the 72 holes in three days). Trailing by four shots at the start of the final round, Woods shot 75 and tied for 15th, nine shots behind Weir and Mattiace.

Weir was able to shake off the third-round 75 because he knew the magic that carried him to rounds of 70-68 and a five-shot lead after 36 holes was still there.

"Really, the difficulty (in the third round) was my iron shots," Weir said. "I didn't want to put too much stock into it because I was really fatigued after the third round. I think the week took its toll, and my legs were really cramping.

"I got back to the room and put my legs up and sat in a hot bath," he said. "I slept probably 10 hours. I was just beat. I felt much better when I woke up. I knew my legs would be fresher. I felt more stable over the ball when I was hitting my approach shots, and it paid off."

Weir called the final round a "gut-wrenching day."

Here are some reasons why:

After his 13th hole, Weir trailed Mattiace, who had just birdied Nos. 15 and 16, by two shots.

By the time Weir reached the 18th green, Mattiace had made bogey there and finished at 7 under for the tournament. Weir had to make a 6-foot par putt to get in the playoff.

"I wouldn't wish that last putt on No. 18 on anybody; that's about as nerve-wracking as it gets," Weir said.

In the playoff, Weir had to keep his composure as Mattiace self-destructed after his approach shot badly missed the green. Weir hit the green in two shots.

"The feeling was a tense pressure," Weir said of the playoff. "I saw the difficulty Len was in. I still needed to do my job, and I wanted to make the (birdie) putt, or at least two-putt.

"When he missed his bogey putt, I wanted to finish it off in style. Luckily, it didn't go too far past the hole."

After it was over, Mattiace, who was playing in his second Masters and his first in 15 years, wiped away tears at a news conference. He said it was from the emotion of the day, not the outcome.

"It's emotional for people who care," he said. "If you care and you really want it, it's going to go to your heart. It's pretty emotional."

Weir, meanwhile, was accepting a congratulatory phone call from Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

Reach David Westin at (706) 724-0851 or david.westin@augustachronicle.com.