Weir Readies 2011 Comeback
Tue, 09 Nov 2010 10:16:04
by Robert Thompson
Since he was diagnosed with a partially-torn ligament in his elbow at the end of August, Weir hasn't hit a full shot, and only recently started chipping and putting. That doesn't mean he hasn't found distractions away from golf.
"I've become a pretty good cook and the house is pretty clean," Weir says from his home outside Salt Lake City, Utah, before breaking into laughter. "Bricia [Weir's wife] is a fan. It has been good to be around, but at the same time being a creature of habit and used to being on the road, I miss the competition."
He's been Canada's brightest golf start since he broke through onto the PGA Tour in 1998. Eight wins later he's tied with George Knudson as the Canadian with the most victories ever.
Unfortunately 2010 wasn't kind to Weir. He struggled with his driving, leading to his worst season on the PGA Tour since his rookie campaign. He simply wasn't playing like the golfer who won the Masters in 2003 and defeated Tiger Woods at the Presidents Cup in Montreal in 2007. After a miserable Canadian Open at St. George's in July where he looked like a 5-handicap at times, it wasn't surprising to hear he'd been diagnosed with an injury. It was just about the only thing that could explain his lacklustre play.
Now he's preparing for his comeback, both from the injury and his poor performance this year. Initially Weir hoped to play on the European Tour in November or is Asia, but the injury has taken longer to heal. Instead he'll start in December at Greg Norman's Shark Shootout, a made-for-TV exhibition event, and will receive an injury exemption into five tournaments in 2011. Over those five events he'll have to make enough money to have cracked the Top 125 on this year's PGA Tour's money list or rely on one of several exemptions he has available to him for lifetime earnings.
Though some pundits have suggested Weir's financial success has made him complacent, Weir at 40 doesn't sound like an athlete who feels his best days are behind him. He hopes to make his first start at the Bob Hope Classic in mid-January, an event he's won before, and then play as many West Coast events as he can.
"I want to get in five of six weeks and just play and get the money list thing behind me so I can just play," he explains.
That's not to say there won't be changes. Weir isn't returning to swing coach Mike Wilson, at least not full-time, and his dalliance with David Leadbetter appears to be in the past as well. His time away from golf has given Weir time to think, to ponder the shortcomings of his game and to plot a way back.
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