Weir returns to full-time play on Web.com Tour
Former Masters champ hoping to work his way back onto the PGA 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 48-49 — 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 past 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 past 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, who is two years away from playing PGA Tour Champions (for golfers aged 50-plus).
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. He said he might play a few more PGA Tour events if possible. He was exempt into last week’s Puerto Rico Open on the PGA Tour, but decided to head home after playing three weeks in a row.
Weir has got a good look at the future of Canadian golf on the Web.com Tour. He played a practice round with Michael Gligic the week before the fellow Canadian won the Panama Championship.
“There are lots of guys playing well and hopefully there will be more and more,” said Weir.
One of the golfers Weir mentioned is David Hearn, who tied for 25th at the Puerto Rico Open. Hearn was paired with Weir at the Desert Classic earlier this year on the PGA Tour and said he was impressed at how much better Weir was playing.
Returning to play a full schedule on the Web.com Tour, Hearn said, really characterizes who Weir is.
“For some people it might be a surprising but if you know Mike and you know how committed and how hard he’s worked at the game in his lifetime, it’s no surprise to a lot of guys out here,” Hearn said.
Off the course, Weir was recently involved with a legal matter with the owner of his former winery. The Canadian Press reported the corporation Mike Weir Wine Inc. owes the golfer about $2.2 million.
Weir believes all will be resolved soon.
“It’ll be behind me,” said Weir.