Mike Weir facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mike Weir CM OOnt
Weir in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Michael Richard Weir
Nickname	Weirsy
Born	(1970-05-12) May 12, 1970 (age 55) 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 Weir ​ ​ (m. 1994; div. 2014)​ Michelle Money ​ (m. 2023)​
Children	2
Career
College	Brigham Young University
Turned professional	1992
Current tour(s)	PGA Tour PGA Tour Champions
Former tour(s)	Korn Ferry Tour
Professional wins	14
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	8
European Tour	2
Champions Tour	1
Other	5
Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 1)
The Masters Tournament	Won: 2003
U.S. Open	T3: 2003
The Open Championship	T8: 2007
PGA Championship	6th: 2006
Achievements and awards
Canadian Tour Order of Merit winner	1997
Lou Marsh Trophy	2003
Lionel Conacher Award	2000, 2001, 2003
Canadian Golf Hall of Fame	2009
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame	2017

Michael "Mike" Richard Weir is a famous Canadian professional golfer. He was born on May 12, 1970. Mike is known for playing golf left-handed. He is most famous for winning the Masters Tournament in 2003. This made him the only Canadian man to ever win a major golf championship. He was also ranked among the top 10 golfers in the world for over two years. Mike currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions.

Mike Weir's Early Life and Golf Start

Mike Weir was born in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. He grew up in a nearby town called Brights Grove. Mike learned to play golf at Huron Oaks Golf Course. His first sport was hockey, and he shot left-handed. This led him to play golf left-handed too.

Mike was lucky because his godfather's son played left-handed. He gave Mike some of his old golf clubs. Mike used money from working as a caddy to buy a special golf club called a wedge. When he was 12, he won a junior tournament. The prize was a full set of irons, which are another type of golf club.

Meeting a Golf Legend

When Mike was 11, he met the famous golfer Jack Nicklaus. Nicklaus came to Mike's golf club for a special event. This meeting was very important for Mike's future in golf.

Mike stopped playing hockey when he was a teenager. He realized he wouldn't grow very tall, and golf was his best sport. Some people told him he might be better if he played golf right-handed. In 1984, Mike wrote a letter to Jack Nicklaus to ask for advice.

Nicklaus wrote back quickly. He told Mike, "If you are a good player left-handed, don't change anything—especially if that feels natural to you." Mike never thought about switching to playing right-handed again. He still keeps Nicklaus's letter, framed, in his home.

High School and College Golf

Mike went to St. Michael Elementary School and St. Clair Secondary School in Sarnia. He won the Ontario Junior Championship in 1988. He then went to Brigham Young University and studied Recreation Management. While in college, he won the Ontario Amateur Championship in 1990 and 1992. He was also a top college golfer, earning an "All-American" title in 1992.

Mike Weir's Professional Golf Career

Mike Weir became a professional golfer in 1992. He started on the Canadian Professional Golf Tour, where he won three events. He also played in some tournaments on the Asian PGA Tour. In 1998, he joined the PGA Tour, which is a major golf tour. However, he didn't play well enough that year and had to try again. He successfully re-qualified for the PGA Tour.

Mike Weir at the 2009 Telus World Skins Game, Lévis, Canada

First PGA Tour Wins

Mike's first PGA Tour win was in 1999 at the Air Canada Championship in British Columbia. This win was special because he was the first Canadian to win a PGA Tour event in Canada in 45 years. He also played well at the 1999 PGA Championship, finishing in the top 10. In 2001, he won The Tour Championship after a playoff.

The year 2003 started very well for Mike. He won two tournaments in California: the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and the Nissan Open.

Winning the Masters Tournament

In April 2003, Mike Weir achieved his biggest win. He won the 2003 Masters Tournament in Georgia. The Masters is one of the four major championships in golf. This victory made him the only Canadian man to ever win a major professional golf championship.

When Mike won the Masters, he was only the second left-handed golfer to win any of the four major championships. The first was Bob Charles in 1963. Other left-handed golfers like Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson have won majors since then. Mike is right-handed in everyday life but plays golf left-handed, just like Phil Mickelson.

Top Rankings and Awards

In June 2003, Mike tied for third place at the U.S. Open. This is another major championship. His great play moved him to third in the Official World Golf Ranking, which was his highest ranking ever. For his amazing year in 2003, Mike won the Lou Marsh Trophy. This award is given to Canada's best athlete of the year. He stayed in the world's top ten rankings into 2004.

In February 2004, Mike won the Nissan Open again. This was his second win in a row at that tournament. Only a few players, like Ben Hogan, have won this event back-to-back.

Later Career and Comebacks

After his second Nissan Open win, Mike didn't win another PGA Tour event for over three years. He worked on changing his golf swing, which helped him get some top-10 finishes. In 2007, he was chosen to play in the Presidents Cup tournament in Canada. This was a special moment for him. He even beat the world's number one golfer, Tiger Woods, in a match. Mike said this win might be even more special than winning the Masters.

His improved swing and the boost from the Presidents Cup led to his next win in October 2007. He won the Fry's Electronics Open. This victory tied him with George Knudson for the most PGA Tour wins by a Canadian, with eight wins.

Mike had some injuries in 2010 and 2011, especially a torn ligament in his right elbow. This meant he couldn't play as much. He had to work hard to get back his full playing status on the PGA Tour. In 2014, he almost won the Byron Nelson Championship, finishing second. This was his best result since his last win in 2007.

In 2019, Mike decided to play on the Web.com Tour. This helped him prepare for the PGA Tour Champions, which is for golfers aged 50 and older. Mike turned 50 in May 2020 and joined the PGA Tour Champions.

In May 2021, Mike won his first tournament on the PGA Tour Champions. He won the Insperity Invitational in Texas. This was his first big win anywhere in the world since 2007.

Mike Weir's Personal Life and Achievements

Mike Weir lives in Sandy, Utah, with his two daughters.

He has received several important honors in Canada:

• In 2003, he was given the Order of Ontario.
• In 2007, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada.
• In 2009, he was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.
• In 2017, he was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.

Mike also has his own line of wines. His Icewine Vidal was even named one of the top golf-related wines by a magazine. A street in Draper, Utah is named after him.

Mike has also served as a captain's assistant for the International Team in the Presidents Cup in 2017 and 2019.

Mike Weir's Professional Wins (14)

PGA Tour Wins (8)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Sep 5, 1999	Air Canada Championship	−18 (68-70-64-64=266)	2 strokes	Fred Funk
2	Nov 12, 2000	WGC-American Express Championship	−11 (68-75-65-69=277)	2 strokes	Lee Westwood
3	Nov 4, 2001	The Tour Championship	−14 (68-66-68-68=270)	Playoff	Ernie Els, Sergio García, David Toms
4	Feb 2, 2003	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	−30 (67-64-65-67-67=330)	2 strokes	Jay Haas
5	Feb 23, 2003	Nissan Open	−9 (72-68-69-66=275)	Playoff	Charles Howell III
6	Apr 13, 2003	Masters Tournament	−7 (70-68-75-68=281)	Playoff	Len Mattiace
7	Feb 22, 2004	Nissan Open (2)	−17 (66-64-66-71=267)	1 stroke	Shigeki Maruyama
8	Oct 21, 2007	Fry's Electronics Open	−14 (69-64-65-68=266)	1 stroke	Mark Hensby

PGA Tour Playoff Record (3–2)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	2000	Michelob Championship at Kingsmill	David Toms	Lost to par on first extra hole
2	2001	The Tour Championship	Ernie Els, Sergio García, David Toms	Won with birdie on first extra hole
3	2003	Nissan Open	Charles Howell III	Won with birdie on second extra hole
4	2003	Masters Tournament	Len Mattiace	Won with bogey on first extra hole
5	2004	Bell Canadian Open	Vijay Singh	Lost to par on third extra hole

Canadian Tour Wins (3)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runners-up
1	Jul 25, 1993	Infiniti Tournament Players Championship	−4 (70-73-72-69=284)	1 stroke	Rémi Bouchard, Steve Stricker, Richard Zokol
2	Jun 8, 1997	BC TEL Pacific Open	−13 (65-69-68-69=271)	1 stroke	Kenny Druce, Ken Duke
3	Jul 27, 1997	Canadian Masters	−18 (64-67-66-69=266)	8 strokes	Steven Alker, Ken Duke, Carlos Espinosa, Kari Kekki

Other Wins (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	Jun 29, 1999	Telus Skins Game	$210,000	$115,000	David Duval
2	Jun 24, 2010	Telus World Skins Game (2)	$270,000	$195,000	Retief Goosen

Other Playoff Record (0–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponents	Result
1	2006	CVS/pharmacy Charity Classic (with Brad Faxon)	Tim Clark and Nick Price	Lost to birdie on second extra hole

PGA Tour Champions Wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runners-up
1	May 2, 2021	Insperity Invitational	−10 (66-68=134)*	2 strokes	John Daly, Tim Petrovic, David Toms

*Note: The 2021 Insperity Invitational was shortened to 36 holes due to rain.

Major Championships

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
2003	Masters Tournament	2 shot deficit	−7 (70-68-75-68=281)	Playoff1	Len Mattiace

¹Defeated Len Mattiace in a sudden-death playoff: Weir (5), Mattiace (6).

Results Timeline

Results not in chronological order in 2020.

     Win      Top 10      Did not play CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" = tied
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

Summary of Major Championship Performance

• Most consecutive cuts made – 8 (twice)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (twice)

World Golf Championships

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
2000	WGC-American Express Championship	1 shot deficit	−11 (68-75-65-69=277)	2 strokes	Lee Westwood

Results Timeline

¹Cancelled due to 9/11
     Win      Top 10      Did not play QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
WD = Withdrew
NT = No tournament
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

Results in Senior Major Championships

     Top 10 CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

PGA Tour Career Summary

*As of the 2019 season.

Summary of PGA Tour Performances

• Starts – 454
• Cuts made – 267
• Wins – 8
• 2nd-place finishes – 10
• 3rd-place finishes – 8
• Top 10 finishes – 69
• Top 25 finishes – 140

* Complete through the 2019 season

Team Appearances

Professional

• World Cup (representing Canada): 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007
• Presidents Cup (International Team): 2000, 2003 (tie), 2005, 2007, 2009

See Also

• 1997 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
• 1998 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
• List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards
• List of Canadian sports personalities