Virginia Tech's Drew Weaver picked a fine way to mess up the family vacation plans last week.

Competing in the June 18-23 British Amateur Championship, Weaver figured he'd play a few days before being eliminated, allowing him and his parents time to do a little sightseeing.

Well, the Weavers never got out of Lytham St. Anne's, England. That's OK, though, because they witnessed the greatest sight they could have ever found on the British Isles.

"Seeing Drew hold up that huge British Amateur trophy [last] Sunday in triumph was totally unreal," Kathy Weaver said. "Who would have ever believed all this could happen? I mean I cannot believe this is my child on the cover of Golfweek [June 30 edition]."

Catching lightning in a bottle at the right time, Weaver shockingly played his way into becoming the first American in 28 years to capture the title, knocking off heavily favored Tim Stewart of Australia 2 and 1 in the June 23 final.

"Yeah, we thought we'd go over to London or hop up to Scotland and see some sights," Drew Weaver said with a laugh. "I kept on joking with my parents as the week got later and I advanced further and further ... I said, 'We're really not making much of a vacation out of this.'"

"Oh, I think we'll forgive Drew for that," his mother said.

Weaver, 20, who entered the event ranked 165th among American collegians, has seen his world turned upside down the past nine days.

In addition to being inundated with interview requests from media all over the world, the rising Tech junior earned an exemption for the July 19-22 British Open in Scotland and next year's Masters.

"Unbelievable!" Drew said. "It will be awesome to see how much different those guys' games are than mine."

His game was better than all at Royal Lytham and St. Anne's.

"Honestly, I went in playing as well as I've played in a long time, maybe even ever," said Weaver, whose 73.8 scoring average was third best on Tech's co-ACC champion team this season. "I shot two of the easiest 64s ever -- that's my lowest score ever -- at my home course in High Point [N.C.] the weekend before we left.

"I said to myself, 'Man, you're playing as well as you've ever played and so what if you've never played any links golf before."

Speaking of links, an emotional Weaver dedicated his worldwide-reaching victory to the April 16 shooting tragedy at Tech that propelled the campus into the world's headlines.

"I don't think you can experience any more range of emotions ... from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs," he said. "Those lives that were lost there ... winning a British Amateur is so minute compared to everything the victims went through that day."

Weaver was only 100 yards away from Norris Hall when 30 of the 32 victims were killed in the shooting rampage. He and other students ran 300 yards to the library, where they took refuge for 3¹₂ hours.

"I'm so glad I can carry the Virginia Tech golf bag and could do something like this and maybe get some positive vibes going," he said. "I think us winning the [ACC] golf championship [April 22] started the healing process in some way."

Kathy Weaver can't help but think Tech's ACC title and her son's British Am triumph were just meant to be coming on the heels of April 16.

"I mean Ryan Sypniewski [of Radford] shoots a 32 on the back nine at the ACC ...and then Drew wins this," she said. "I mean some things are not mere coincidences."

Winning the British Amateur carries responsibilities and rewards when you're playing for pleasure

How much was Drew Weaver's stunning British Amateur triumph worth? Not one dime.

That's OK, though, because Weaver is the recipient of plenty of perfect perks:

An automatic exemption into the July 19-22 British Open at Carnoustie in Scotland. If past form holds true, he will be paired with reigning champion Tiger Woods in the first two rounds.

"I don't know if it'll happen, but if it does it will be something that I'll never forget," Weaver said. "To go out and see how my game compares with his -- Wow! I'm pretty long off the tee, but I don't think I have his length, though."

An automatic exemption into next April's Masters at famed Augusta National.

"Every golfer dreams of playing in the Masters and playing that course," Weaver said. "I simply can't imagine what it would be like to tee it up there."

A possible spot on the U.S. team that will face Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup in September. U.S. captain Buddy Marucci may have to consider a player who beat three likely GBI Walker Cup players in his six matches.

"That would be incredible," Weaver said. "That's one reason I've got to cut off the interview requests at a certain point to figure out my scheduling for a couple of months. I've still got some golf to play and I've still got a Walker Cup team to try and make."

A four-year exemption to the U.S. Amateur. Weaver earned his way into British Am qualifying by reaching match play in last year's U.S. Am at Hazeltine, Minn., where he lost in the first round.

Weaver's mother, Kathy, has found herself feverishly making all the arrangements for the upcoming British Open.

"I'm trying to figure out where we're going to stay," she said. "Drew's room is like $500. It's expensive. And he didn't win any money. But that's OK. We can handle it."