Mike Weir
| Mike Weir | |
|---|---|
| — Golfer — | |
Weir in May 2010
|
|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Michael Richard Weir |
| Nickname | Weirsy |
| Born |
May 12, 1970 Sarnia, Ontario, Canada |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st) |
| Nationality |
 Canada
|
| Residence | Sandy, Utah, U.S. |
| Spouse | Bricia (divorced 2014) |
| Children | Elle Marisa, Lili |
| Career | |
| College | Brigham Young University |
| Turned professional | 1992 |
| Current tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Professional wins | 15 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 8 |
| Other | 7 |
| Best results in major championships (wins: 1) |
|
| Masters Tournament | Won: 2003 |
| U.S. Open | T3: 2003 |
| The Open Championship | T8: 2007 |
| PGA Championship | 6th: 2006 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| Lou Marsh Trophy | 2003 |
| Lionel Conacher Award | 2000, 2001, 2003 |
Michael Richard Weir, CM, O.Ont (born May 12, 1970) is a Canadian professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He spent over 110 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking between 2001 and 2005. He is left-handed and is best known for winning the Masters in 2003.
Born in Sarnia, Ontario, Weir grew up in the Sarnia suburb of Brights Grove. He learned to play golf at Huron Oaks Golf Course, and was coached there by Steve Bennett. Like many Canadian boys, his first sport was hockey; he was a natural left-handed shot, and began playing golf left-handed as a follow-on from his hockey experience. Weir was fortunate in that his godfather's son played left-handed and had a partial set of spare clubs that he handed down to Weir—three woods and four irons. From his earnings as a caddy and pro shop worker, he purchased a left-handed wedge that he used until the grip wore out. When he was 12, he won a junior tournament in which the first prize was a complete set of irons; he replaced his original four irons with the clubs he had won. While working at Huron Oaks, he also met Jack Nicklaus at age 11, when the golf legend came to the club to play an exhibition. This meeting set the stage for a pivotal moment in Weir's career.
Weir gave up hockey in his early teenage years when he realized he would not grow past average size and that golf was his best sport. However, he had received advice that he might be an even better golfer if he switched to playing right-handed. In 1984, Weir decided to write Nicklaus for advice as to whether to make the switch. Nicklaus quickly wrote back and told Weir,
"If you are a good player left-handed, don't change anything—especially if that feels natural to you."
He never thought of switching to right-handed play again, and still keeps the letter, now framed, in his home.
He attended St. Michael Elementary School in Brights Grove and St. Clair Secondary School in Sarnia, winning the Ontario Junior Championship in 1988. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University (majoring in Recreation Management), and won the Ontario Amateur Championship in 1990 and 1992. He tied for 2nd at the 1991 Canadian Amateur Championship, and finished clear second in that event in 1992. He was an All-American selection at BYU in 1992 on the Second Team.
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