The appointment of the Canadian is not a surprise, as the event will visit Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Quebec.

Weir, 52, is best known for his 2003 Masters victory over Len Mattiace in a playoff, becoming the first and to date only male Canadian to win a major championship. Weir captured eight wins during his PGA Tour career, and competed in five Presidents Cups.

Weir provided one of the more indelible moments in Presidents Cup history in beating Tiger Woods 1-up at the 2007 match in front of his fellow countrymen at Royal Montreal. Weir is just one of six International players with 10 or more wins in Presidents Cup competition.

Weir has also served as an assistant captain on the past three Presidents Cup teams.

“Presidents Cup has become such a big part of my career, so to be here in this moment announced as captain of the 2024 International Team is surreal,” Weir said. “When I look back, I have so many incredible memories associated with this event whether it be my debut in 2000; winning my Singles match against Tiger in 2007 at Royal Montreal; witnessing Ernie create the shield in 2019; and then seeing Trevor carry that momentum in 2022. Now as I look with anticipation toward 2024, I couldn’t be more excited to lead the International team into my home country of Canada for what will surely be the experience of a lifetime.”

“As the International Team captain in 2024, Mike Weir will continue the upward trend of the Internationals with his unwavering support for his players and the Presidents Cup,” said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan. “With his pedigree as a player combined with his history with the Presidents Cup both as a player and a captain’s assistant, Mike is the right leader at the right time as the Presidents Cup returns to Montreal. As an icon in his homeland, he certainly will have the full support for the Canadian fans in building a distinct homefield advantage for the International Team.”

The 2024 Presidents Cup will be held at Royal Montreal Golf Club, September 24-29. The Americans are the defending champs, and have won the last nine matches.

You may also like:
Get the December 2022 edition of Golf Digest Middle East FREE here!
LIV Golf unveils three new venues for 2023
Lee Westwood’s son to make pro debut
Seventh Saudi Open set to get rolling
Ernie Els targets silverware in Indonesia
Sibling rivalry at Australian open
Tiger: I would never take a cart on PGA Tour
Tiger Woods: Greg has to go
OWGR is flawed, says Tiger
LIV Golf reveal their World Cup XI
Hero Cup line-ups announced for Ryder Cup warm-up event in Abu Dhabi
Cam Smith aims to end career-best year on a high
Is it time to abolish OWGR?
Tiger out of Hero World Challenge
Sergio’s run comes to an end
Rory thinks he gave Tiger Covid ahead of the Open
Hedwall claims Open de Espana in dramatic fashion
Emotional triumph for Cam Smith in Australia
Meet Dan Bradbury, DP World Tour’s newest surprise package

The post Mike Weir named International captain for 2024 Presidents Cup appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

In fact, it doesn’t always take place on the PGA Tour. Sunday was an example. While Sam Burns was strolling up the 18th fairway at the Valspar Championship with a four-shot lead en route to his first tour victory, there was very real drama taking place about 1,000 miles away at The Woodlands, outside of Houston, where the final round of rain-delayed Insperity Invitational was taking place.

This is no knock on Burns, who had been close to victory in the recent past and, at 24, clearly has the potential to win some more in the next few years. It wasn’t his fault that Keegan Bradley went sideways on the back nine, turning a quality duel into a coronation. This is about real golf theater, involving characters everyone who follows golf is familiar with, although very little of their success has taken place in the recent past.

Four players had a chance to win the PGA Tour Champions event. Three of them were past major champions:

• David Toms, who won the PGA in 2001, beating a then majorless Phil Mickelson down the stretch.

• Mike Weir, who became the first Canadian and the first lefty to win the Masters in 2003.

• And John Daly, whose golf and non-golf resumes can’t possibly be captured in one sentence. Long story short, Daly won the 1991 PGA after getting into the field as the ninth alternate and then won the Open Championship at St. Andrews in 1995 when he was the 108th-ranked player in the world. There’s no need to relive Daly’s off-course issues and there’s also not enough time or space to do so here. Put it this way: Daly’s official PGA Tour profile mentions his three children, but none of his four wives. Easier that way, no doubt.

Daly turned 55 last week and has won once—at this same senior tournament in 2017—since turning 50. In the last 16 months, he’s played 16 times and, coming into the weekend in Houston, had one top-10 finish—a T-9 at the Cologuard Classic just before the pandemic shut the tour down last March. He last won on the PGA Tour in 2004, although he lost a playoff a year later to Tiger Woods in a WGC event.

Nowadays, Daly is sporting a long white beard, which, combined with his less-than-lean body, makes him look like Santa Claus in sunglasses and outrageous pants. He’s had health issues, diagnosed last September with bladder cancer that required surgery. But, when he’s feeling up to it, and the mood strikes him, he can still play.

And, he’s very much a draw. So much of the crowd was with Daly’s group—the second-to-last—coming down the stretch Sunday that Golf Channel’s Bob Papa commented that Weir, Petrovic and Toms, the final group, “are playing in almost complete privacy.”

Weir turned 50 last May and had to wait out the pandemic to get his chance to play against the senior set. He last won on tour in 2007, although that same year he beat Woods in a Presidents Cup singles match, an outcome that is still looked at in Canada as one of sport’s great moments even though the U.S. easily won the Cup.

Harry How
After a bladder cancer diagnosis last September, John Daly has returned to play on the PGA Tour Championship and in February at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Since winning the Masters 18 years ago, Weir has been through a divorce, numerous swing changes, serious injury and all sort of setbacks and frustrations. But he’s found happiness the last five years with girlfriend Michelle Money and a swing he can trust since hooking up with veteran instructor Mark Blackburn.

While working with Blackburn has been important, Weir says a real turning point for him came when he played on the Korn Ferry Tour for two years ahead of turning 50. It wasn’t the results that mattered, it was that Weir was able to find real joy on the golf course for the first time in years.

“A lot of the guys knew who I was [a Masters champion] and approached me looking for guidance on how to get from where they were in the sport to where I had been,” he said. “I never felt uncomfortable out there, even playing with kids who were hitting it 75 yards past me off the tee. We’d sit around during breaks and they’d ask me, What was it like when you won the Masters? What did you do to get there? I felt a little bit like the wise old man telling the kids the secrets to success in life. It was fun.”

There’s also hockey—an important part of Weir’s life for as long as he can remember. He was a natural left-handed shot as a kid even though he was right-handed and that’s why he’s always played golf left-handed. Beyond that though, for better or worse, is the hockey mentality that was—and is—an important part of who he is.

“In hockey, you get knocked down you don’t just lie on the ice,” he said. “You break a collarbone, a wrist, whatever it is, if you can get up, you skate to the bench and, if you can, you play through it. I think that’s in the DNA of all Canadians. That’s why I kept playing when I first got hurt [in 2011] because you should always be able to play through pain. But I couldn’t do it. I needed surgery.

“Now though, I think the hockey mentality was what kept me going through all the bad times. I never would have forgiven myself if I’d just said, ‘too tough,’ and walked away. I needed to give myself this chance.”

Weir has played in 14 PGA Tour Champions events. He’s finished in the top 10 in six and has been in the top four in four of the last eight. He’d finished second twice before Sunday and found himself locked in a four-way battle on the back nine. The tournament had been shortened to 36 holes because of weather, and Weir, Daly, Toms and Tim Petrovic all took turns at the top of the leader board.

Daly seemed to have gained control when he eagled the par-5 13th for a two-shot lead, but, a moment later, Weir hit his second shot at the same hole to three feet and matched the eagle, tying Daly for the lead. Weir bogeyed the 14th, Daly leading again by one. But then Daly parred the par-5 15th and Weir birdied it and they were tied again. Petrovic was a shot back by then, Toms two shots behind.

It all came down to the 18th hole at The Woodlands, one of golf’s most entertaining finishing holes. To get anywhere near the flag, a player has to take on the water with his second shot, regardless of where he puts his drive. Daly blasted a driver and had only 141 yards to the flag. He took a 9-iron and appeared to catch a wind gust, the ball splashing into the water well short of where it needed to land. From there, Daly made double-bogey 6.

Special moment for @mweirsy after winning the @InsperityInvtnl. pic.twitter.com/YWeEcAHI4F

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 3, 2021

Knowing that Daly had gotten wet, Weir also took driver and hit a bomb of his own—not Daley-esque, but more than respectable. He had 161 yards to the flag and hit a perfect shot, the ball landing just short of hole-high and 15 feet left of the flag. Weir almost never shows emotion on the golf course, but he shook his fist when he saw where the ball had ended up. Weir knew unless Petrovic made a miracle putt from across the green or he somehow three-putted, he was going to win for the first time since the Fry’s Electronics Open in October 2007. And when he closed out the victory, it was indeed cause for celebration.

Suffice it to say, Daly-Weir duel, with Petrovic and Toms chasing, was wildly entertaining. The quality of the golf—Daly’s second shot at 18 aside—was excellent. There were no five-minute conversations between players and caddies or anyone marking a two-foot putt and pulling out his greens book. The ending had real drama, especially since it involved two players who have known the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in golf.

It was good for Daly; better for Weir and terrific for the sport. One more rain delay early in the day pushed the finale back until 8 o’clock eastern time. It was worth the wait.

The post Mike Weir and John Daly show senior golf still provides great theater appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Ryan Herrington
The sample size is small. Very small. And yet, it’s big enough to generate some numbers that will grab your attention.

With a victory on Sunday at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic, Phil Mickelson became only the third player in PGA Tour Champions history to win his first and second starts. He joined Bruce Fleisher, who originally accomplished the feat in 1999, and Jim Furyk, who matched it last month. Furyk has finished T-9 and T-13 in his next two starts, apparently having already hit his senior career peak. (Kidding!)

Telling, too, is the fact that neither of Mickelson’s two victories were nail-biters. Rather, they’ve been dominant performances suggesting that if the five-time major champion were to focus on playing the senior tour, he could have a chance at re-writing many of the records on the 50-and-older circuit.

On Sunday, Mickelson beat fellow Masters champion, Mike Weir, by three strokes at the Country Club of Virginia in Richmond, Va., shooting a 17-under 199 total. This comes after he won by four over Tim Petrovic in his PGA Tour Champions debut at the Charles Schwab Series Ozarks National event in August, tying the tour’s record for low 54-hole score (22-under 191).

Phil checks in after his second consecutive @ChampionsTour win! ? pic.twitter.com/kbEi444x5A

— KPMG Mickelson (@MickelsonHat) October 18, 2020

Six rounds of play doesn’t qualify Mickelson for any of the stat categories on tour (a minimum of 27 rounds is needed), but checking out his stats in those six rounds makes for interesting reading. Here are five numbers that have captured out attention.

65.0
This is Mickelson’s stroke average on the PGA Tour Champions. That’s after rounds of 61-64-66-68-66-65. By way of comparison, Ernie Els is currently the scoring leader on tour with a 68.29 average in 34 rounds. More context: the tour average for the 2020 season is 70.97.

311.7 yards
This is Mickelson’s driving distance average through two events. He would easily be No. 1 on tour if he qualified for the ranking, as John Daly is the current leader with a 298.7-yard average. The overall tour average for the season is 276.0 yards.

79.63
This is Mickelson’s greens-in-regulation percentage. Once again, he’d be the tour’s leader if he was eligible, with Els holding the top spot right now with a 77.61 GIR percentage. The tour average is 67.81.

2.85/3.67/4.33
This is Mickelson’s average on par 3s, 4s and 5s. Of course it would stand to reason that if his overall average was 65.0, that these numbers would be equally low. Each is lower than the leaders in any of the three categories: Jerry Kelly on par 3s (2.92), Bernhard Langer on par 4s (3.88) and Robert Karlsson on par 5s (4.40).

56.79
This is Mickelson’s driving accuracy percentage. Not surprisingly, this would NOT be leading the PGA Tour Champions. Furyk is doing that with his 68.29 percent fairways-hit clip. And it’s well below the tour average of 70.97 percent. But, it’s interesting to not that it’s better than the 54.0 percent mark Mickelson posted on the PGA Tour during the 2019-’20 season, or his 50.77 from 2019, or his 52.91 in 2018. In fact, you have to go back to 2014 when he finished the PGA Tour season with a 58.01 percent mark, to find Mickelson putting up a better number.

The post 5 telling stats from the dominant start of Phil Mickelson’s PGA Tour Champions career appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By John Strege
Phil Mickelson does not follow convention, as we know, and so it was that his road to Augusta began in an unfamiliar place on an unlikely stage, though not with an unexpected result.

What Mickelson took away from his second PGA Tour Champions start was a second victory on Sunday and whatever confidence one can glean form a test less stringent than those ahead of him.

Mickelson won the Dominion Energy Charity Classic in Richmond, Va., the first time he has played there in more than 27 years. He beat Mike Weir by three shots at the Country Club of Virginia and joined Bruce Fleisher and Jim Furyk as the only players to win their first two senior starts.

“I have a lot of fun playing out here [on the senior tour], because I can play aggressive,” he said. “I can get away with a couple of misses and play the way I like to play, to play a little more attacking style. I really like that.”

Mickelson began the final round trailing Weir by three, then shot a seven-under-par 65 for a 54-hole total of 17-under 199. He made only a single costly swing, hitting his drive out of bounds on the par-5 ninth hole leading to a bogey.

“That kind of fried me a little bit,” Mickelson, a three-time Masters champion, said. “I was able to play a good back nine. That’s something I’ve been working on and it’ll give me something to work on in the coming weeks as we head into Augusta.

“This is a good momentum start for me. I put a driver in I haven’t used before to try to get a little more pop for Augusta, a little bit more carry. It might have been a little bit off line at times, but I’m working with it and it was a good successful week.”

Mickelson, who won the Charles Schwab Series in August in his senior debut, will return to PGA Tour play in the run-up to the Masters next month. He will play the Zozo Championship at Sherwood Country Club outside Los Angeles next week and then the Houston Open the week before Augusta.

Weir, also a past Masters champion, is also a senior tour rookie who was seeking to win for the first time since the 2007 Fry’s Electronics Open. This was his eighth senior start, his third top 10 and his best finish.

He shot a 63 in the second round on Saturday, was unable to carry over the momentum into Sunday. He shot a one-under-par 71.

The post Phil Mickelson begins his Masters prep with a second victory in two PGA Tour Champions starts appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Tod Leonard
There were three major champions who started their senior tour careers in this calendar year. No doubt most golf fans can name two of them off the top of their head. Five-time major champ Phil Mickelson won in his first PGA Tour Champions start after turning 50 in June, and 2003 U.S Open winner Jim Furyk, who reached the qualifying age in May, notched two victories in a fewer than two months over August and September.

The third? He is a Masters champion, but has been so far off the planet of competitive golf for a decade that very little attention and no expectations were put on him when he reached 50 in May.

Mike Weir, winner of the 2003 Masters, has suffered through injuries and ignominy for years. Career-wise, the slightly built Canadian arguably reached rock bottom in 2019, when, with all his special status exemptions used up for the PGA Tour, he opted to play on the Korn Ferry with an exemption awarded to PGA Tour players who are 48 or 49.

That didn’t help Weir much. In 17 combined starts between the PGA and Korn Ferry tours, he reached the weekend only five times. Weir finished no better than 35th on either tour, extending to 12 years his streak of winless seasons. He has only one top-10 result in the last 10 years. (He notched his eighth and last tour win at the 2007 Fry’s Electronics Open in Scottsdale, Ariz.)

If anybody was hoping for new life on the senior circuit, it was Weir. So far, it’s been better than he could have dreamed.

Weir entered this week’s Dominion Energy Charity Classic in Richmond, Va., already with two top-10 finishes in his first seven Champions Tour starts, and after firing a second-round nine-under-par 63 on Saturday in a 36-hole day, he is poised for a possible—and rather improbable—victory. At 13 under, Weir leads Mickelson (68-66) by three shots. Another five back is two-time U.S. Open winner Retief Goosen and Brandt Jobe.

Asked if he could remember when he’d last slept on a lead, Weir was stumped.

“It would take me a while to come up with when the last time that was,” he said. “It’s been a long time, so it feels good.”

For the day, which required 36 holes because the weather made the Virginia Country Club course unplayable on Friday, Weir made 15 birdies total in shooting 68-63. He charged in the afternoon with five birdies on his back nine, including three in a row.

“I’ve been playing some pretty good golf,” Weir said. “I haven’t played like this yet, but it’s nice to see some hard work paying off, especially with the putter. I thought my first four, five tournaments I was a little cold and then Pebble Beach [where he tied for fourth in the Pure Insurance Championship] it started coming around, so it’s nice to see that momentum continue.

“It’s great to be in the mix,” he said. “I want to get out here to have a chance again, I haven’t felt those feelings in a long time. See if I can handle it [Sunday] and have a chance coming down the last few holes, I hope.”

The post A forgotten and forlorn major champ is close to long-sought victory appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

WE’RE BUYING

Rory McIlroy: The world’s best player put on the best performance overall when it came to showing off his golf game and personality. McIlroy was by far the chattiest player in the star-studded foursome, and while the FedEx Cup trash talk may have induced some cringes, at least he was trying. Oh yeah, McIlroy also delivered in dramatic fashion with the winning closest-to-the-pin effort on the final swing of the day:

When $1.1M is on the line, the World No. 1 delivers.#DrivingRelief pic.twitter.com/4KGNQAtG8r

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) May 17, 2020

Also, perhaps learning from the mistake of fellow four-time major champ Brooks Koepka, McIlroy had the good sense to not allow his significant other to give him a quarantine hair cut.

Lockdown Rory…. pic.twitter.com/NtYl9bmGzh

— GOLFTV (@GOLFTV) May 13, 2020

Smart man. Although, if he lived in New York, that might be a different story. I’m starting to get desperate.

Rickie Fowler: It’s too bad this guy didn’t play during the Skins Game Era. He could have challenged Freddie Couples as the King of the Silly Season. Taking advantage of the light atmosphere—and some local knowledge as a three-time Seminole Pro-Member winner—Rickie ripped off seven birdies to nearly pull off the upset with partner Matthew Wolff. Fowler’s back was probably pretty sore when he woke up on Monday morning. And not just from carrying his own bag, if you know what I mean.

Seminole Golf Club: If I’m being totally honest, the historic track making its TV debut didn’t come across amazing on TV. But all the architecture geeks were geeking out and they know a lot more about this stuff than I do so I’ll defer to them.

Matthew Wolff’s pop: The 21-year-old was admittedly nervous, but he managed to launch his two best drives when it mattered most, easily winning both long-drive challenges with blasts of 356 and 368 yards.

∙ 368-yard drive
∙ $350K for charity

All in a day's work for Matthew Wolff.#DrivingReliefpic.twitter.com/iPsO1afBF1

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) May 17, 2020

Wolff made a lot of money for the CDC Foundation with those two drives. He also made a lot of new fans.

WE’RE SELLING

Matthew Wolff’s Fu Manchu: The kid gets his big break on the big stage and he does this?

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAShteklOLN/?utm_source=ig_embed

In the words of Curtis Strange, “You’ll learn.”

A closed U.S. Open: The USGA announced there will be no open qualifying for our national championship, which is the reason why it’s called the U.S. Open in the first place. While I understand the decision given the current situation, that doesn’t make this any less disappointing. Local and sectional qualifying provide some of the tournament’s best stories each year. And not to mention, they have produced some winners through the years, including Lucas Glover (2009), Michael Campbell (2005) and Ken Venturi (1964). On the bright side, if you’re a scratch golfer, you can tell everyone this would have been the year you were finally going to qualify.

Greg Norman’s ranch: As in, The Shark is selling his expansive and expensive ($40 million!) Colorado property that is so big a river literally runs through it. Here’s a photo of the 14,000 square foot lodge on the 12,000-acre property from the listing:

And here’s another photo from the listing of Greg and his wife horseback riding through the snow:

Looks nice, Greg, but I’m just not sure if it’s enough space for me.

ON TAP

Another week, another live televised event for charity! This time it’s THE MATCH Part II, AKA The Match: Champions for Charity. And it will feature Tiger Woods partnering with Peyton Manning to take on Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady. What a foursome. Oh, and Charles Barkley will be part of the announcing crew. This should be fun.

Random tournament fact: Phil topped Tiger for $9 million in their first made-for-TV matchup in 2018. While even more money is up for grabs this time, it’s all going to COVID-19 relief efforts so the guys are going to play nice. “It’s his home course, but Tom and I are going to go down there and put it to them,” Mickelson told Golfweek. “And we’ll make it that every time Tiger shows up at his home course, he’ll have a bad memory.” Never mind. The gloves are off!

PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—Phil won’t mention beating Tiger the last time: 9 MILLION-to-1 odds
—Phil will show off his throwing arm during the event: Even odds
—Phil will wear shorts to show off those calves: LOCK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Mike Ehrmann

Shorts? Stand bags? What a sight. Pros are just like us! At least, until they put those bags down and start hitting shots.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Brooks Koepka has a dartboard with Brandel Chamblee’s photo on it:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CASS5UOlXEW/

Amazing.

THIS WEEK IN TOUR PRO PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION ABS

Beefcake Bryson caused quite the stir with the following photo:

While the full results of his weight-gaining experiment—now up to 230 from 195!—remain to be seen on the course, you gotta admit the guy looks good. OK, well, I’m admitting it. If the PGA Tour does a shirtless calendar to raise money for charity, you should make the cut.

THIS WEEK IN CELEBRITY GOLFERS MICHAEL JORDAN GOLF STORIES

Thanks to colleague Chris Powers for clipping these from the final two episodes of “The Last Dance.” Although they are criminally under-liked, he’ll probably have the Internet police all over him now. Anyway, MJ took a dig at Larry Bird’s golf game after eliminating his team in Game 7 of the 1998 NBA Eastern Conference Finals:

pic.twitter.com/EdoGsKaanP

— Christopher Powers (@CPowers14) May 18, 2020

And then after winning the 1998 NBA Finals, his Airness still had golf on his mind:

Post 91, 7:15 pm, emergency 9 vibes pic.twitter.com/P9ZhkzWMuZ

— Christopher Powers (@CPowers14) May 18, 2020

What a legend.

THIS WEEK IN GOLFERS GOLF MEDIA BEING QUARANTINED

One of my bosses, Ryan Herrington, built this version of the Big House:

Yes, he went to Michigan. And another one of my bosses, Sam Weinman, adopted a small dog:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAQ3rqDlrbd/?utm_source=ig_embed

At first, it seems like Sam has the clear advantage. But Ryan is going to have a lot easier cleanup, so tough call.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Hey, DJ, is this a waste bunker?” —Matthew Wolff provided the dagger of the year on Sunday. It was especially impressive considering Wolff was only 11 when that happened to DJ at Whistling Straits during the 2010 PGA.

THIS AND THAT

Sportsbooks said the action on the TaylorMade Driving Relief was similar to a major. It’s good to see our country is still filled with degenerates, including a few from the office who shall remain nameless. … Unfortuantely, the NBC broadcast didn’t quite reach major-level ratings, but the 2.35 million total audience delivery is nothing to sneeze at. And it gives Tiger/Phil something to shoot for in addition to raising money for charity. … Mike Weir, who recently turned 50, was this week’s guest on the Golf Digest Podcast. The 2003 Masters champ sounds ready to take down the geezers on the senior circuit:

Congrats to Hyun Kyung Park for winning the Korean LPGA Championship:

Chung Sung-Jun

And before you get upset over her hugging her caddie, that’s her dad. … And finally, congrats to Golf Digest supervising producer and Grind video teammate Michael Sneeden on making his first eagle:

I’m so happy for you, Mike—especially since it wasn’t a hole-in-one. Then things would have gotten awkward.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

How many thumbs up will Phil flash on Sunday?
How many people think golf events end with a tape measure now?
What does Bill Murray’s Costco shopping list look like?

The post Rory McIlroy’s walk-off wedge, Bryson DeChambeau’s bold photo, and Brooks Koepka puts his nemesis on a dartboard appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Alex Myers

Wiener schnitzel (Bernhard Langer, 1986) (pictured above)
The German was one of the first players to really personalize the Champions Dinner menu and he chose wiener schnitzel (breaded veal) and Black Forest cake, two popular foods in his native country. When he won his second green jacket in 1993, he stuck with the cake, but switched to turkey and dressing for the entree.

Haggis (Sandy Lyle, 1989)
Lyle was so fired up about getting to host the Champions Dinner that he wore a kilt and served the Scottish specialty made of minced sheep organs. “That seemed to make quite a statement,” Lyle told the Augusta Chronicle. “The older guys, like [Jack] Nicklaus, had been to Scotland and knew what haggis was. But the newer ones, guys like Lar-ry Mize, they weren’t too sure about that.”

Chicken Cacciatore (Fred Couples, 1993)
Freddie payed homage to his Italian roots by serving chicken cacciatore with spaghetti on the side (his paternal grandparents immigrated from Italy and changed their last name from Coppola). Couples’ choice thrilled at least one other Masters winner with an Italian background. Gene Sarazen called it his favourite Champions Dinner.

Cheeseburgers, fries, milkshakes (Tiger Woods, 1998)
It’s not a coincidence that the youngest winner of the Masters essentially served a kid’s meal. “Hey, it’s part of being young,” Woods said. “It’s what I eat.” Byron Nelson, for one, didn’t complain. He reportedly told Tiger he was glad he ordered cheeseburgers, “because I don’t get this at home.”

Chicken Panang curry (Vijay Singh, 2001)
Singh served a Thai-themed feast that also included seafood Tom Kha, Chilean sea bass with chili and rack of lamb with yellow kari sauce. Singh reportedly had the chef make the spicy chili sauce milder than usual to better appeal to the other guests. Aww, what a guy.

Elk and wild boar (Mike Weir, 2004)
The only Canadian to win a major championship served plenty of big game from the Great White North. There was also fried chicken and filet mignon for the less adventurous. And a selection of Canadian beer, of course.

Lobster ravioli (Phil Mickelson, 2005)
Lefty went Italian for his first Champions Dinner, which also included caesar salad and garlic bread to go with the ravioli in a tomato cream sauce. Apparently, this is a year-round favourite in the Mickelson. Phil and Amy later shared their recipe for the dish with WorldLifestyle.com.

Chicken and beef fajitas (Tiger Woods, 2006 & 2020)
Tiger graduated from burgers and fries to steak, chicken and sushi in 2002 and 2003. Then in 2006 he served fajitas with Mexican rice and refried beans, which friend Mark O’Meara happened to serve in 1999. It was good enough then that Woods had said it was returning to the menu for his 2020 Champions Dinner, which sadly has to wait until this November.

Veal osso bucco ravioli (Zach Johnson, 2008)
Actually, this dish isn’t as curious when you consider how many things Johnson served at his dinner. The menu also contained chilled jumbo shrimp, crab cakes, lobster bisque, filet mignon, seared ahi tuna, Iowa corn pudding, sweet potato casserole, and flourless chocolate cake. Hey, you never know when you’re going to get this chance again, right?

South African bobotie (Trevor Immelman, 2009)
This South African dish is a minced meat pie with egg topping. Immelman also provided a variety of South African wines that were probably a lot more popular with the other guests.

Argentinian barbecue (Angel Cabrera, 2010)
Cabrera served a spread from his home country of chorizo, short ribs, beef filets mollejas (sweetbreads) and blood sausages. When asked about the host’s selection, Jack Nicklaus joked, “Oh, I hope he enjoys it.” Oh, we’re sure Cabrera did.

Spanish seafood paella (Phil Mickelson, 2011)
Mickelson honoUred cancer-stricken Seve Ballesteros, who couldn’t make the dinner, with his meal in 2011. Aside from the paella, machango-topped filet mignon, tortillas and Spanish apple pie were also served. “I just want him to know we all wish he was here and we are thinking about him,” Mickelson said. Sadly, Ballesteros died the following month.

Moreton bay bugs (Adam Scott, 2014)
Adam Scott flew this personal favoUrite in from Australia to accompany the New York strip steak. “They are legitimate bugs, the real deal,” Scott said of the critters that are actually just insect-like lobsters. “I’m not going to serve up anything second rate tonight. I’ve got to go all-out to impress these guys.” Interesting tactic.

Tres leches cake (Sergio Garcia, 2018)
And not just any tres leches cake. Sergio served “Angela Garcia’s tres leches cake.” We believe this marks the first time that a WAG’s name has appeared on the official Champions Dinner menu. Regardless, it sounds like the green jacket winners were in for quite a treat.

The post 14 Curious Masters Champions Dinner Choices appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
The International staff for the 2019 Presidents Cup isn’t lacking when it comes to major-championship acumen.

Captain Ernie Els, he of two U.S. and two British Opens victories, tabbed a pair of former green jacket winners in Mike Weir and Trevor Immelman to serve as assistants for the biennial matches in Melbourne. The vice captains are rounded out by Geoff Ogilvy, the 2006 U.S. Open champ, and eight-time tour winner K.J Choi.

“Choosing my assistant captains, I gave it quite a bit of thought,” Els said on Tuesday at a press conference in Australia. “I’ve seen what other captains have done in the past. In this instance, I really wanted to try and start a new thinking process around the pairing system. I’m using a lot of data, a lot of science into what we’re going to be doing in December in Australia, and I wanted to get guys who have played a lot of Presidents Cups like myself.”

Weir made five Presidents Cup appearances for the International squad, posting a successful 13-9-2 record in his career. He was also part of the 2017 club as an assistant to Nick Price.

“The Presidents Cup has been a big part of my career. I grew up playing a lot of team sports and when I made my first Presidents Cup team in 2000 it was really one of the highlights,” Weir said. “So it’s been special to still be part of the team as an assistant to Nick and now Ernie. We have a long history. We’re basically the same age, we’ve played a lot of golf together so it’s going to be really fun to try to get the Internationals over the line this time.”

Immelman played in the 2005 and 2007 matches, while Choi has been a part of three teams. “I’m personally very happy and honoured,” Choi said. “You need amazing teamwork to win the Presidents Cup. It’s our role as captain’s assistants to bring together players of different nationalities and have them blend well together. It’s our role to have them open up to us and help relieve some of the pressure they might feel.”

Els, who has an International-best 21 points in the Presidents Cup, will be looking to lead his side to its first victory since 1998.

In February U.S. captain Tiger Woods announced three vice-captains for Team America: Fred Couples, Zach Johnson and Steve Stricker. Woods has the option of adding another assistant to his roster, although he’ll likely wait until the competition is closer to fill that slot. Tiger has made eight Presidents Cup appearances in his career, second only behind Phil Mickelson.

The 2019 Presidents Cup begins Dec. 12 at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, the site of the only International win in the event’s 25-year history.

The post Ernie Els tabs a pair of Masters champions as assistants for 2019 Presidents Cup appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

There are many layers to probe in the Canadian’s past, from his improbable success to his quick vanishment. But now, in the present, only one question comes to mind, and Mike knows it too:

Why is a Masters champion playing on the Web.com Tour?

• • •

The query arose two weeks ago when Weir’s name popped up on the Panama Championship leaderboard, fuelled by a first-round 66. You’re excused if you did a double-take at the sighting, or believed this was a case of mistaken identity, that another Mike Weir was working his way up the ranks.

After all, the Mike Weir made a total of 10 starts on the PGA Tour since 2015, making the cut on only one occasion. He hadn’t reached the tour’s postseason in a decade. He’s 48 years old, 49 in May, double the typical age for a player on the development circuit.

Besides, the man has a green jacket in his closet. Major champs don’t do minor leagues.

Except there it was again, “WEIR,” among the leaders at last week’s LECOM Suncoast Classic with opening scores of 66 and 68. His final standing was hurt by a stumble on Sunday, but the matter could no longer be chalked up as an aberration.

So, what gives?

On the semantics front, it’s simple: The Web.com Tour has an exemption that offers status to past PGA Tour members aged 48-49. An exemption Weir plans to utilise, hoping for 20 or so starts this campaign.

As to why … well, as mentioned above, it’s a question Weir expects and has pondered. Spending a decade on the sport’s outskirts presents plenty of time for that. So when he responds, there’s no doubt it emanates from somewhere deep.

“I’m still motivated,” Weir told Golf Digest on Tuesday. “I love to compete. I love the game. You know it’s just … I’m happy to be able to play, I’m happy to be working on my game. You can stand on the range all you want, but you have to get out there and play.

“I’m not 25, I might not be able to do what I used to do. But I still love it.”

Harry How

That reads like a veteran platitude; know it was not in delivery. Throughout the conversation, Weir’s voice skipped with effervescence, an inflexion reminiscent of a rookie in humble awe of his surroundings. To be fair, Weir had just left Augusta National after a two-day visit—what soul wouldn’t feel renewed—but Weir’s buoyancy is fueled by more than the mystique of the Georgia pines.

He has battled injuries since 2011, wrist and elbow ailments zapping the vitality at the tail of his prime. Just three years ago, his body was so wrecked he was forced to take leave of absence. There were moments he didn’t think he would play again, on any level.

“I haven’t played a full schedule in a number of years, or even had a schedule, really,” Weir said after the Suncoast. “The last couple of years it’s always been like, ‘I wonder if I’ll get in next week.’ It’s hard to prepare that way. It’s hard to be at home for a month and wonder when you’re going to play next.”

Given his sabbatical, it’s a statement not particularly staggering. Weir’s star has long past dimmed. It does, however, belie the stature Weir once held.

Though Weir is primarily known for his 2003 Masters triumph—where he shot a final-round 68 and beat Len Mattiace in a playoff to become the first left-handed winner in tournament history—it far from encapsulates his career. Despite not reaching the PGA Tour until 29, he won eight times, including a Tour Championship and WGC Championship. The Masters was his only major victory, but he was a frequent contender at golf’s biggest events with 12 top-10s in majors, highlighted by six in a nine-tournament span. He was honoured as Canada’s Athlete of the Year three times, a frequency topped only by Wayne Gretzky and Ferguson Jenkins. Weir played in five Presidents Cups, and once defeated Tiger Woods in an epic 2007 Sunday’s singles match in front of his countrymen at Royal Montreal Golf Club.

In short, a player of such prestige should not be in a place like this, where young guns and journeymen aspire to accomplish a tenth of what Weir has.

But if his pride was shattered by his surroundings, Weir’s not letting on. Quite the opposite.

“It’s refreshing for me, in a good way,” Weir asserts. “I was in a lot of these guys shoes you know 20, 25 years ago when I was coming out of college and turning pro. It’s great to see the young guys that are out there and watch them and compete against them.”

Teeing it up again has been a rejuvenation, yes, but so too has the communal ambience of the tour. It speaks to Weir, after being on the outside for so long, citing it as a catalyst to his play. In turn, he has tried to reciprocate. Make no mistake, Weir wants to beat them—has to, if he wants to go where he wants to go—yet he has been something of a mentor to a host of players, doing what he can to catapult these fledgling talents.

“Guys come up and ask me questions about how to make it, what to do out of the bunker … just gave a lesson on chip shots last week,” Weir said. “I want them to play well, and I want them to see their dreams fulfilled.”

As for Weir’s dreams?

Matt Sullivan

This foray is more than keeping the competitive fires lit.

He wants to make that clear, and does so multiple times. The PGA Tour Champions may beckon, but the sole ambition through the windshield is a return to the PGA Tour.

Weir concedes though, even if he sustains the flashes from the past few weeks, it’s not an easy road back for any player, and Father Time hasn’t alleviated those concerns. Save for Phil Mickelson and his dark magic, Weir’s age is a purgatory for golfers. He’s not old enough for the senior circuit, but more and more PGA Tour events are awarding sponsor’s exemptions to up-and-comers. Complicating things is a changing landscape. Power is no longer an asset on tour; it’s a prerequisite. One that hampers the 40-and-older crowd’s capability to hang with their younger professional brethren.

“The power advantage is more pronounced at this stage of the evolution of golf,” said Weir, who was never mistaken for a long hitter. “That’s a huge factor. Just the way the golf courses are set up now reward that more. There used to be more premium on accuracy. It’s just the way it is.”

In that same breath, there’s no sense of sour grapes or surrender, from Weir. He insists there remains a place in golf for strategy and ball-striking and a lights-out short game. His recent performances in Panama and Lakewood Ranch prove it can be done.

Weir states he’s in the acclimation phase with his game and his body. He’s finally healthy, just not seasoned to playing this much, his strong Web starts extinguished on the weekend by sloppy, perhaps gassed, play.

“Just getting in that tournament rhythm again,” Weir said. “It’s about managing my time, managing practice.”

Not that he’s complaining. There’s joy in the process, especially when you haven’t worked in seemingly forever. “There’s nothing like the flow of playing tournament golf,” Weir said. “You take the good things on to the next week and learn from maybe the not so good things. And move forward.”

Which is where Weir is focused, refusing to dwell on what was. All that matters is he’s here, finally, playing golf again.

“Playing three weeks? Man, I hadn’t done that in a few years,” Weir says with cheery wonder.

Why is a Masters champion playing on the Web.com Tour? As Weir counters, why not?

The post Why is a Masters champion playing on the Web.com Tour? appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.