Weir makes hard work and perserverance pay off
As a young teen, Mike Weir was famously told by Jack Nicklaus, to stick with his natural swing. That natural swing, refined by countless hours of hard work, has propelled Canada's most famous golfer to great success on the PGA Tour.
By Bob Denney, PGA of America
The junior golfers at Huron Oaks Golf Club in tiny Brights Grove, Ontario, were often given nicknames by the staff.
Mike Weir was called "Geppetto," a name perhaps best known as the kindly carpenter in Disney's Pinocchio.
But, Huron Oaks PGA Head Professional Steven Bennett says the nickname had more to do with the fact that Weir's mother, Rowie, was of Italian descent.
Just 23 years old when he met Weir in 1981, Bennett recognized that the youngster he was about to coach was totally dedicated to learning the game of golf. Weir had played recreational hockey, but unlike his peers, he was dialed into golf. Endless hours on the range actually appealed to him.
"Mike's mother would bring him dinner at the course," said Bennett. "The family lived just five minutes away on Hamilton Road."
Those long hours began to pay dividends for Weir, with his winning his first junior tournament at age 13.
Weir wasn't a long hitter, but Bennett saw something special in a player who could hit a 4-wood from 150 yards with the precision of a middle iron.
The story has been repeated of how then-13-year-old Weir wrote to golf legend Jack Nicklaus about whether he should abandon his left-handed style for the conventional right. Nicklaus responded that he should stick with what is natural.
That golf tip from the Golden Bear became the foundation for Weir to mold a remarkable career. He won the 1986 Canadian Juvenile Championship and later the 1990 and 1992 Ontario Amateur Championship. He earned a scholarship to Brigham Young University and won second team All-America honors.
He began playing professionally on the Canadian Tour, winning the BC TEL Pacific Open and Canadian Masters. He also played at many overseas ports of call. He arrived in style on the PGA Tour, winning medalist honors in the 1998 Qualifying Tournament, and in 1999 became the sixth left-hander to win on Tour with a victory in the Air Canada Championship.
Weir's ascension to golf stardom continued. In 2000, he was the first Canadian selected to the Presidents Cup Team and helped lead an International Team victory. That same year, he put together back-to-back 67s to propel him to the $1 million prize in the WGC-American Express Championship at Valderrama in Sotogrande, Spain.
What isn't so publicized is that Nicklaus visited Huron Oaks Golf Club in 1981, as a guest at a corporate outing. Weir was returning from London at the time, yet made it back to the course to see Nicklaus finish the back nine.
"I was fortunate to have played with Jack that day," said Bennett. "Jack was my idol growing up. And, a year after Mike won the Masters, I got to caddie for Mike in the par-3 contest at Augusta, GA National Golf Club. Mike arranged it so that he would play along with Jack and caddie Bennett reunited again with Nicklaus after 23 years.
"Mike was focused, strong-willed," said Bennett. "When he headed off to BYU (Brigham Young University) he got stronger and today has become one of the most physically fit players out there."
In becoming the first Canadian to win a major Championship with his playoff triumph in the 2003 Masters, Weir has continued his quest to be among the world's finest performers. It has been a marvelous journey for Huron Oak's "Geppetto," and it is no fairy tale about what Mike Weir has accomplished. A heavy regimen of hard work, he has proven so often, is one's best prescription to achieving dreams.
