Weir Applauds Support For Young Pros

With his 40th birthday on the horizon, Mike Weir was all about looking forward in his career as he prepared for his 2010 debut on the PGA Tour at this week’s Bob Hope Classic in La Quinta, Calif.

He was willing, however, to reflect back to the early stages of his career when informed that associations within the Canadian golf industry have been discussing ways of supporting developing professionals from this country, although nothing official has been decided yet.

“We’ve always been these independent guys that go out and try to either get a corporate sponsor or a businessman to kind of get you going and get you started in the right direction, somebody who loves golf that wants to help a young guy to get going,” said Weir.

“If the RCGA and CPGA are thinking about setting aside some kind of fund to help some of these young guys, I think it’s a great idea,” he added.

As you’ve read in recent blogs on GNN, the Royal Canadian Golf Association and Canadian PGA have been discussing that very topic, as has the Canadian Tour. Word has it that the initial step towards this goal will be through the Canadian Tour’s Canadian Bursary, but nothing has been announced yet.

The timing for such an initiative is perfect with several new Canadians on the PGA and LPGA Tours this year. The buzz surrounding those fresh faces also underscore the fact that numerous outstanding prospects are on the rise, as well, which becomes even more exciting with golf now in the Olympics, starting in 2016.

Weir recalled his own experience when he was starting out, beginning with his home club in Bright’s Grove, Ont., raising money.

“My own experience starting off, Huron Oaks had this fundraiser for me, a dinner, and it raised $10,000,” he recalled.

“I had some small corporate sponsors when I first got going, a small firm in London. Midland Walwyn gave me a little money and I did some corporate things for them. Bell gave me a cell phone to use on the Canadian Tour without any charges and that was huge,” he said.

“All those little things, they pay off and I was able to play well enough to stay afloat and keep things going from there,” said Weir.

Had the stars aligned differently, this country may not have been celebrating Weir’s win at the Masters in 2003. Support for developing players such as Matt Hill and Nick Taylor on the men’s side or Jennifer Kirby and Stephanie Sherlick on the women’s side might contribute to future successes.

“There’s a number of different guys that do different things,” said Weir. “I’ve heard of guys selling shares in themselves and then paying the investors back when they started doing well.

“I’ve seen some of the young guys, the bigger name guys, get some sponsors right out of college, but it’s not easy to get going on your own and everybody always needs a little help to get started, so if they are thinking of something like that, I think it’s a good idea,” he added.

Of course, the younger guys coming on to the tour help motivate Weir, as does the opportunity to play in the Olympics, even though he’ll be 46 when they are played. Weir says he stayed in shape and visited coach Mike Wilson frequently during the off-season in Palm Springs.

“I’ve been able to do what I always do, usually in the off-season and that’s train very hard in order to keep up with some of these young guys,” said Weir. “In my mind, I really just feel like I can improve on so many things. I really honestly believe that my best golf’s ahead of me, so that keeps me very motivated.

“I think the thought of being an Olympian five, six years down the road, that’s very motivating. Trying to win more majors, that’s the other thing. There are a lot of things to look forward to in the future,” he said.

“I’m going to be 40 this year. I have a tough time remembering what I felt like at 30, but I probably didn’t feel any better than what I do now,” added Weir. “I feel fitter and better and ready to go, especially better than three, four years ago when I was having some problems with my back and my neck.”

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