Mike Weir
Sunday, March 2nd, 2008 - 6:10 pm by admin
Michael Richard Weir C.M., O.Ont. (born May 12, 1970) is a Canadian professional golfer on the PGA Tour.
Weir was born in Sarnia, Ontario. He grew up in the suburb of Bright’s Grove, where he learned to golf at Huron Oaks Golf Course. He attended St. Clair Secondary School in Sarnia and is a graduate of Brigham Young University (majoring in Recreation Management). He turned professional in 1992. Weir’s first PGA Tour win came at the 1999 Air Canada Championship in Surrey, British Columbia. The victory made him the first Canadian to win a PGA Tour event in Canada in 45 years.
On April 13, 2003, Weir won the prestigious Masters Tournament at Augusta, Georgia, one of the four Major tournaments in men’s golf. He is the first Canadian ever to win a professional major championship (Sandy Somerville won the U.S. Amateur when it was considered a major tournament). When he won The Masters, Weir became only the second left-handed golfer to win any of the four majors, the other being Bob Charles, who won the British Open 40 years earlier. Weir is a right-hander who plays golf left-handed; a trait he shares with fellow PGA Tour pro Phil Mickelson.
In June 2003, he tied for third at the U.S. Open, the second of the majors in the annual schedule, which moved him to third in the Official World Golf Rankings, his highest ranking. For his outstanding play in 2003, Weir won the Lou Marsh Trophy for outstanding Canadian athlete of the year and for a time in 2003 and 2004 he was in the top ten in PGA Tour player rankings.
In February 2004, he joined the ranks of a select few players including Ben Hogan to win back to back championships at the Nissan Open, becoming the sixth player in Nissan Open history to notch back-to-back wins and the first since Corey Pavin (1994, 1995). He is the 20th player to post multiple wins at the Nissan Open.
Weir had not won a tournament since then but, working with Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett on a new swing, had shown some positive results (two top tens, including a tie for eighth at the Open Championship). While working on the swing changes, he had dipped in the world rankings to a point that he did not qualify for the 2007 Presidents Cup matches being held in Canada at the Royal Montreal Golf Club. The tournament he helped bring to Canada did end up including Weir on the International squad, as he was picked by Gary Player as one of his captain’s picks. This turned out to be an inspired choice as Weir went on to beat current number one Tiger Woods in a heated match, despite his team losing the Cup. When asked, Weir enthusiastically stated, “When I look back on my career, this may be even more special than winning the Masters.” His swing changes, coupled with the momentum from his Presidents Cup performance, culminated in his first win in over three years at the Fry’s Electronics Open in October 2007. This victory in Arizona tied Weir with George Knudson for most PGA Tour wins by a Canadian.
Weir currently lives in Draper, Utah, with his wife Bricia and two daughters. Mike’s home course is the Taboo Resort in Gravenhurst, Ontario. Although a graduate of BYU in Provo, Mike Weir is not a Mormon; he married his wife at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in his home town of Bright’s Grove, Ontario.[1] Following his playoff victory at the 2003 Masters Tournament, he was allowed to clear out the beer from the clubhouse refrigerator to take back for a victory party at a rented house full of Canadians.
In June 2007, it was announced that Mike Weir would be appointed a Member of the Order of Canada. He was appointed to the Order of Ontario in 2003.
Creekside Estate Winery, near Lincoln, Ontario, began producing wine for Weir in 2005, and as of 2007 had released a merlot, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, cabernet-merlot, cabernet-shiraz and icewine. His Icewine Vidal was named by Travel and Leisure Golf magazine as one of its top five golf-related wines. Weir has announced plans to open his own winery in the summer of 2008.
On December 17, 2007, The Thomson Corporation announced it will be the lead corporate sponsor for Weir for a five-year term beginning in January 2008, replacing Bell Canada.
Professional wins (13)
PGA Tour wins (8)
Major Championship (1)
World Golf Championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (6)
Tournament
Air Canada Championship
WGC-American Express Championship
THE TOUR Championship
Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
Nissan Open
The Masters
Nissan Open
Fry’s Electronics Open
Canadian Tour wins (3)
1993 Infinity Tournament Players Championship
1997 BC TEL Pacific Open
1997 Canadian Masters
Other wins (2)
2003 Champions Challenge (with Dean Wilson)
2004 Champions Challenge (with Dean Wilson)
Major Championships
Wins (1)
Championship
2003 The Masters 1 shot lead -7 (70-68-75-68=281) Playoff 1 Len Mattiace
1 Defeated Len Mattiace in sudden death playoff by 1 stroke.
Team appearances
Presidents Cup (International Team): 2000, 2003 (tie), 2005, 2007
WGC-World Cup (representing Canada): 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007


