Golf

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Weir says his best golf is yet to come

By: Tim Campbell

Posted: 01/16/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

As he hits one of those milestone birthdays in 2010 -- he'll be 40 in May -- former Masters champ Mike Weir still believes his best golf is ahead of him.

Weir, with eight PGA Tour titles to his credit, hasn't won a tournament since 2007. The last two years have yielded decent results -- he's been in the top 30 of the FedEx Cup points standings in each -- and he told a conference call with reporters on Friday that during the off-season he was as dedicated to his profession as ever.

"I've kind of been on a mission, let's say that," Weir said.

"I do what I always do, and that's training very hard in order to keep up with some of these young guys and try to outwork some of them to start the season."

The annual new wave of talent on the PGA Tour isn't the only thing that drives Weir.

"In my mind, I feel like I can get better at so many things and I honestly feel my best golf is ahead of me," he said.

The Sarnia, Ont., native, who now lives in Sandy, Utah, also has a long-term goal in mind.

"The thought of being an Olympian is very motivating," he said, referring to golf's re-introduction to the Games in 2016 in Brazil.

But knocking on 40 just can't mean that Weir has the same energy as a fresh college or lower-tour graduate, can it?

"Honestly, the most difficult part is balancing the schedule," Weir said of his preparations this year. "I'm going to be 40 this year, but I have a tough time remembering what I felt like at 30. I probably didn't feel any better than I do now and I feel especially better than I did three or four years ago when I was having problems with my neck."

And his schedule means including his family, he said.

"It's planning around the kids (he has two daughters), their spring breaks, the summer when they're out of school. I'm still trying to be the best dad I can be and be active in their lives.

"When they were babies, they were looking to mom most of the time and it was easier for me to get away. But I want to be an active dad and that's the hardest balancing act."

Chatting with a PGA Tour player these days always includes a question about Tiger Woods, who has not been heard from since the late-2009 eruption of allegations about affairs.

"I have not talked to him at all, though I did reach out to him right around Thanksgiving," Weir said. "I guess he's been unavailable but I suspect -- and this is just my guess -- that he'll be back for the Masters. In fact, every major is at a great venue this year, courses he's done very well on.

"And me, I want to see him out there. As a competitor, I want the best there to compete against. And the tour wants that. It's good when he's around and my guess is that he'll be back sooner than later."

What Woods, Weir and all the rest of the world's best players will find on the 2010 PGA Tour is a significant rule change, one Weir has been preparing for.

He has changed all of his irons and wedges in the off-season in order to conform to the new groove rules implemented this season.

"I've noticed it a little bit, playing down in L.A. (in December) in Tiger's charity event," Weir said. "The ball, especially with the wedges, flew a little higher and didn't spin as much. And bunker shots, they're releasing an extra three or four feet.

"It's kind of going back (in time) but it doesn't feel unfamiliar. It's a slight adjustment but we'll get used to it. I don't think it'll be a factor on the West Coast but it'll be interesting to see how things go when we get to Florida."

Veterans Weir and Stephen Ames will welcome two Canadians to the tour this season, Chris Baryla and Players Cup champion Graham DeLaet.

Weir, who won't play until next week's Bob Hope Classic, said he hasn't talked to the rookies yet.

"You kind of have to find your own path on how to do things but I'll definitely make myself available to them," he said. "I'm not into giving advice... unless they ask for it.

"As a tour rookie I remember having Richard Zokol out there to ask him about different things on tour and it was a big plus, even just to go to dinner or have somebody to chat with."

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 16, 2010 D7

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