Canada's Weir pumped for home game at 2021 Shaw Charity Classic

Mike Weir has been missing the home crowd.

Once health authorities signed off on the necessary approvals for the 2021 Shaw Charity Classic, there was no doubt the beloved lefty from Bright's Grove, Ont., would be headed north to headline the field in mid-august at Canyon Meadows.

It'll mark his first tournament appearance on Canadian soil since June of 2019, before he was eligible to tee it up on PGA Tour Champions.

“It'll be good to be back,” said Weir, now 51 and already with a win on his resume as a rookie on the senior scene.

“We haven't had the RBC Canadian Open for two years, so it's been a while. I miss it. We play these events on the Champions Tour and you'll see a guy who is local, who is from close by, and you see the response from the fans and the people. It will be nice for me to get home and feel that energy of the crowd in Calgary.

“I want to get up there and play well, and I've been playing really well. I hope that continues. Hopefully, I'll be in contention come Sunday.”

If Weir's name is near the top of the leaderboard during the final round at Canyon Meadows, he should be the undisputed fan favourite.

Unless, perhaps, he's going toeto-toe with longtime local Stephen Ames, who lived in Calgary for two-plus decades before trading his Sorels for sandals. He now spends his downtime in Turks and Caicos but will see plenty of familiar faces at the 2021 Shaw Charity Classic, even though attendance will be limited to 2,000 spectators per day.

“It's always nice to come back to where home was at one time,” said the 56-year-old Ames — originally from Trinidad & Tobago — after committing to the Aug. 13-15 showdown. “That will be awesome to see some friends, just not as many as usual.”

Wes Short Jr. has probably never rolled loonies or rolled up the rim, but the smooth-swinging Texan is just as anxious for the trip north.

He is, after all, the defending champion at the Shaw Charity Classic, his repeat bid postponed one year because of COVID-19.

You might recall that Short was the beneficiary of a fortunate bounce off a rock on the Par-5 finisher at Canyon Meadows. That helped seal his second triumph on the senior tour — both of them in Canada. (He topped the heap at a now-defunct stop in Quebec in 2014.)