One For The Good Guys
It's impossible to tell if the public image on display by professional athletes is their true self. However, we for the most part prefer guys who seem wholesome and humble. That's why we excoriate guys like Paul Byrd as hypocritical when he goes from god-fearing baseball player to lying cheat overnight.
All that said, it sure seems like Mike Weir is one of the good guys. Weir has struggled with his game in the past seasons, but this season was showing signs that he was on the road back. This road was highlighted by his play at the recent President's Cup which culminated in a singles victory over Tiger Woods.
That's no longer the highlight of Weir's season after winning the Inaugural Fry's Electronics Open. Weir had to get up and down from a bunker on 18 yesterday to secure the victory. After a fair shot to six feet from out of the bunker, Weir rolled in the par putt to claim his first win since the 2004 Nissan Open.
It's hard not to like Weir. He's a Major Champion (2003 Masters) but what I will always remember is the tough round at the 1999 PGA Championship at Medinah. Playing in the final group with Tiger Woods, a group behind Sergio Garcia, Weir shot a final round 80 to finish well back. He was gracious in defeat, and I seem to remember his comments after the round not being filled with excuses. He simply admitted that he did not play well given the pressure and that he would learn from the experience. He then came back three weeks later to claim his first PGA Tour win, appropriately enough at the Air Canada Championship.
If that wasn't enough to like the guy, this morning I found out that Weir also has his own wine, with plans to open a complete winery in 2008. Here's guessing that Weir had a nice glass of Me Chardonnay last night.
Mike Weir is my new 2nd-favorite golfer. So he's got that going for him, which is nice.
