Weir inducted into Canadian Golf Hall of Fame

BRIGHTS GROVE, Ont. - (CP)

One of the greatest Canadian golfers of all time was back on home soil Saturday to accept one of his sport's highest honours.

Mike Weir officially joined the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame with a ceremony at Huron Oaks, the course where the lefty fell in love with the game as a kid.

He was thrilled to be back in his hometown for a reception attended by roughly 150 people. The crowd included family, friends and other Hall of Famers, including Gary Cowan and Sandra Post.

"It's special to do it here," said Weir. "I see a lot of family and friends. Obviously, it's kind of where I grew up and where it all began for me. I feel good.

"It's a great night."

The course has gone through some changes since Weir worked and played here as a teenager in the 1980s. Still, it remains a place close to his heart and fresh in his mind.

He recalls shooting 63 as a 16-year-old and spending hours on the putting green, working on his stroke even after darkness set in with help from a spotlight on the adjacent clubhouse.

Fifteen years later, he'd make an eight-foot putt on the 72nd hole of the 2003 Masters to force a playoff with Len Mattiace that he ended up winning. It was the first professional major victory by a Canadian male and remains the biggest of Weir's career.

"When I am at an airport or somewhere, (people say): 'Hey, I remember that great Masters win,"' he said. "People bring that up, they don't bring up some of the other tournaments ...

"I get recognized for that more than anything."

Weir, 39, is tied with George Knudson for the most PGA Tour victories by a Canadian with eight. He expects to have a number of good playing years ahead of him and has made it clear that he intends to add a few more entries to his Hall of Fame plaque before calling it quits.

A number of his trophies were on display at Huron Oaks for Saturday's reception, providing a good reminder of the success he's already had.

The main thing that set Weir apart from other young golf hopefuls is a relentless drive and nearly unmatched work ethic. His background isn't typical of the average PGA Tour player - the son of middle-class parents, he was raised in this Western Ontario town where golf courses are closed at least four months a year.

After turning professional, he played the Canadian Tour and others around the world, at one point putting most of his belongings in storage while he and wife Bricia hit the road.

Even though he would go on to become a millionaire several times over, there were times when money was tight.

"My goal was to somehow get on the PGA Tour, that was just the first goal," said Weir. "When that finally happened in December '97, that was just a huge hurdle to finally get over after six years struggling, trying to make ends meet, living out of my car, kind of in and out of different apartments. I lived with friends just to try and make it all work

"Looking back, I never dreamed I'd be here."

The golfer's Hall of Fame plaque was unveiled on Saturday night and features a sketch of Weir along with a brief biography. It will soon make a permanent home alongside other honoured members at the Hall, which is located on the grounds of Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ont.

An exhibit featuring Weir's memorabilia has already been on display there since the RBC Canadian Open in July. One of the more interesting items is a few pages photocopied from a book on swing tips complete with Weir's meticulous handwritten notes in the margins.

Since his days of studying the swing, Weir has gone on to author a career as good as any by a Canadian golfer.

In addition to the tournament victories, he's earned more than US$26 million in official PGA Tour earnings, spent roughly two consecutive years in the top-10 in world rankings and famously stared down Tiger Woods in a singles match at the 2007 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal.

It's quite a resume.

"I always knew he would make it," said Steve Bennett, the head pro at Huron Oaks who hired Weir. "I knew he had it in him. I've never met anyone with his level of determination."

Bennett was so confident in Weir that he introduced him as "Canada's next great golfer" during an event at Huron Oaks in 1992, where locals raised $10,000 to help send him to qualifying school.

Look how far he's come.

Weir has been named the country's male athlete of the year by The Canadian Press on three occasions and was invested in the Order of Canada by Governor-General Michaelle Jean earlier this month.

That honour was partly in recognition of his charity work - the Mike Weir Foundation celebrated its fifth anniversary earlier this year and is dedicated to advancing the physical, emotional and educational welfare of children.

While the coming years will see him start to focus on a golf design business, he's also passionate about wanting to increase his charitable work. For Weir, the opportunity to give something back feels like the natural next step from a career that has brought him fame and fortune.

Who knows what he might be able to accomplish in that realm? His golf game has certainly come a long way in a relatively short amount of time.

"Eleven years ago I was just fighting to get on the PGA Tour," Weir said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press. "I was back at Q-school at this time 11 years ago. It's not that long of time and I've been able to do pretty well on the course and be able to do these things (off the course). It's pretty special to be able to do that."