Mike Weir returning to full-time play on Web.com Tour

Most golfers on the Web.com Tour don’t get to play Augusta National on their weeks off. Mike Weir is the exception, however. The 2003 Masters champion is planning on playing a full schedule on the PGA Tour’s feeder circuit thanks to a special exemption category for golfers aged 48 and 49 — which should mark the first time he’s played more than 20 events since 2014.

The 48-year-old native of Brights Grove, Ont., played three weeks in a row on the Web.com Tour in February — with his best result a tie for 35th at the LECOM Suncoast Classic, after being tied for the lead early in the week in Lakewood Ranch, Fla.

Before returning home to Utah for a rest, though, Weir took a trip to Augusta to check out the new par-4 fifth hole (it has been lengthened for 2019) and enjoy two days of golf with friends. He’ll tee it up again at the Masters in April.

“It’s always great to get back there,” said Weir, the lone Canadian to win a green jacket.

The last five years have seen Weir fall from being a PGA Tour regular to cobbling together an inconsistent schedule.

He’s battled a myriad of injuries, but told The Canadian Press he feels “great” for the first time in recent memory. He says he’s more motivated than ever to get back to the top tour.

Weir said it was hard to get into a rhythm the last few years not knowing where he was going to play next, but now that he’s got a confirmed schedule, he’s eager to keep the competitive juice flowing.

“That’s the benefit of playing week to week. You get to figure things out on the golf course, not the driving range at home,” he said. “You figure those things out when you’re playing, so that’s been nice.”

Weir said he’s focused on trying to finish inside the top 25 in the Web.com Tour standings to earn a PGA Tour card for next year. “I want to get back out there,” said Weir. Weir said he’d play the whole season on the Web.com Tour while leaving for the Masters — he has a lifetime exemption thanks to his 2003 triumph — and the RBC Canadian Open.

Off the course, Weir was recently involved with a legal matter with the owner of his former winery. Mike Weir Wine Inc. owes the golfer about $2.2 million.

Weir believes all will be resolved soon. “It’ll be behind me, which is all I have to say about that,” said Weir.