Though I’m in Cape Breton for one more day (and there’s lots coming on that tomorrow), my latest National Post column, stemming from a conversation with Mike Weir on Tuesday, is in today’s paper and online here.
Here’s a taste:
Mike Weir is enjoying two weeks off. With the PGA Tour season on hold, he will sit back and, like most of the golfing world, tune his television set to next week’s Ryder Cup.
“Everyone is sort of giving this thing to the European team,” Weir said from his home in Utah this week. “But I’m putting myself out there and saying I think the U.S. is poised for an upset. Look at a young guy like Anthony Kim or J.B. Holmes. I think they’ll make a difference. I think the U.S. is hungry.”
Weir is looking forward to the PGA Tour’s break – there is no tournament this week and the FedEx Cup playoffs do not resume until Sept. 25 – since it will give him some time to reflect on a successful season and help him nurse a series of injuries. A disc problem in his neck has resulted in soreness in his right shoulder and elbow. The injuries became a concern at the BMW Championship on Sunday in St. Louis, when Weir could barely hold a club in his right hand while warming up. Only a quick session with the trainer from the St. Louis Blues allowed him to finish the tournament.
“Now that I’m pushing 40, these things seem to be cropping up more often,” Weir said, noting doctors have told him the injuries should disappear if he takes time off. “When I was 28 – not 38 – I could push through it. But playing 36 holes on Saturday was too much.”
Weirzy should be commended on his play as of late. Besides the stack and tilt, he looks like the old Mike.