After playing poorly in the early spring, Weaver suddenly turned things around. Just days after the shootings, he returned to the course to help the Hokies pull off a huge upset in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, where they shared the championship with heavily favored Georgia Tech.

Everyone on the Hokies team played over their heads that final day, teaming up to shoot 8 under on the back nine. Weaver did his part, sinking a 35-foot putt at the last hole, then joined his teammates for an emotional trophy presentation.

“It was really a special weekend,” he remembered. “We had so many people pulling for us. We just went down there and had an incredible performance.”

The seasons changed, but Weaver didn’t let up. After being turned down by a couple of major amateur tournaments in his own country, he was accepted into the British Amateur. He figured it would be a good experience, a chance to play true links golf for the first time in his life.

He never expected to become the first American to reach the final since 1983. He never expected to be the first to win it all since Jay Sigel in 1979.

“It’s my style of golf,” Weaver said. “I think a lot about different shots. The creativity demanded over here by these golf courses was something that just elevated my game. I don’t normally hit shots that I can hit over here. There’s so many different shots I have to figure out or maybe even try for the first time.

“It’s really neat.”

And it’s really neat to play with some of the game’s most recognized pros. On Tuesday, Weaver joined Stewart Cink and J.J. Henry for a practice round, listening intently as the two PGA Tour regulars passed along some of their secrets. How to play different shots. How to prepare. How to avoid getting burned out on a game that requires countless hours of practice beyond the public eye.

“This is something he’ll remember forever, he and his dad out here together,” Henry said. “I call him the Dream Weaver.”

As the threesome strolled up to the 16th green, Cink blurted out, “Did you ever hear what happened to Tom Weiskopf at Loch Lomond?”

Nope, Weaver replied. Well, here goes: While designing the course — which Weaver played last weekend, missing the cut in the Scottish Open — Weiskopf slipped into a quicksand bog. He was soon trapped up to his chest but managed to escape the scary predicament with help from a tree root.

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“That was a pretty crazy story,” Weaver said.

He out-drove both pros on the final hole, finding a safe spot between the meandering Barry Burn, then wandered over to the ropes to sign a few autographs.

“You’re making it look too easy,” one fan commented through a thick Scottish brogue. “Keep it up.”

Weaver smiled again and said thanks. Then he kept going, a youngster who knows how good life can be when you’ve seen it at its worst.

“It’s definitely changed the way I think about things. It’s only so bad when you hit a bad shot or have a bad round,” he said. “It’s not the end of the world.”

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