Weir looks to create a buzz in Montreal
The Presidents Cup might feel a bit like the Stanley Cup this September in Montreal. At least that's the hope of International Team captain Mike Weir.
“We're leaning on the Montreal Canadiens organization ... and tapping into their fan base,” Mike Weir said.
“We've put a lot of thought into it and we continue amongst our team to talk about that home-course, home-country advantage and we're trying to engage a lot of the fans around the country.”
The Presidents Cup has historically been a much tamer affair than the Ryder Cup, where emotions, partisanship and fandom routinely reach a fever pitch. Weir is hoping to change that when the biennial tournament lands in Canada.
He said he'd like a hockey crowd mentality on display, making the “other side feel a little bit uncomfortable”
There are six automatic selections to the team. Nick Taylor is the only Canadian with a hold on a spot at the moment, sitting fourth, with six months to go.
Weir will also have six captain's picks at his disposal, and there are four other Canucks currently inside the Top 20 in International standings: Adam Hadwin (9), Corey Conners (12), Adam Svensson (16), Mackenzie Hughes (17).
The Presidents Cup runs Sept. 26-29 at Royal Montreal Golf Club.
When Milos Raonic takes on
Rafael Nadal before a soldout night-session crowd at the BNP Paribas Open tonight, the patriarch of the current Canadian tennis wave will be back where he belongs.
For how long is the question.
Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., has been trying to return from a two-year injury absence since last summer. And when he has played, he has looked much like his vintage self. The challenge has been to keep playing. His last two defeats have come on injury retirements.
Raonic is back at Indian Wells for the first time since 2019, when he lost in the semifinals to Dominic Thiem.
He made the final in 2016, and the semifinals on two other occasions.
While he's played Nadal 10 previous times — beating him at Indian Wells in 2015 and in Brisbane in 2017, he hasn't played him in an official tournament for more than seven years.
The $1-million King's Plate will
open the 2024 Canadian Triple Crown on Aug. 17, Woodbine Entertainment Group announced Wednesday.
The King's Plate is North America's oldest continuously run race. It will highlight Woodbine's 2024 meet, which begins April 27 and runs through Dec. 15, a total of 129 race dates.
The second jewel of Canadian thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown will be the $400,000 Prince of Wales at Fort Erie Racetrack on Sept. 10. The final event will be the $400,000 Breeders' Stakes at Woodbine on Sept. 29.