Sometimes all it takes is beating the world’s most dominant golfer heads up to end a streak of 86 events without a title.
Sure it’s the “silly season", but Mike Weir is surely giddy over his performance over the last month - first beating Tiger Woods in a pretty-close-to-meaningless match at the Presidents Cup - now winning the Frys Open.
When Weir won The Masters in 2003, he was touted as a possible Top 10 mainstay. Well, he’s barely been on the radar since his win at the 2004 Nissan Open.
On a side note, it was nice to see Phil Mickelson phone it in for two days before getting cut in his home town.
It’s hard to believe Woods really brought his Major Sunday game face against Wier at the Presidents Cup and the victory seemed to be totally overblown. Weir is fooling himself if he thinks he faced Tiger at his best. But motivation is motivation, and momentum is a fickle mistress. Though that match seems to be serving as the breaking point, a better barometer for how your game is doing is stacking it up in a full field of the world’s best - not an 18-hole match where your team is getting creamed anyways and you’ve got the adrenaline of the home crowd on your side.
Maybe it was the Tiger victory or maybe he’s just been tweaking his putting stroke a little here and there and it’s finally comfortable. Maybe a Canadian Dollar that’s as strong as the American now means his paychecks aren’t taking him as far as they used to at Tim Horton’s. The world rankings look better with Weir up there, so hopefully he can challenge for a few more W’s next season.
Justin Leonard came back to life and won the Texas Open a few weeks back - now Weir at the Frys. Maybe that’s the off-season’s purpose: giving a glimmer of hope to struggling former major winners who can tear up diluted fields in order to get back into the winners circle. But winning when the world’s best are competing is a far taller order.
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5 comments
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§ Shanks®
said on : 10/22/07 @ 13:29
Maybe it's just me, B-Tuck, but I'm guessing those 50-60 guys battling for their 2008 playing priviledges/status would take issue with your "silly season" claim. -
§ wendy (UK) said on : 10/22/07 @ 14:58
I'm at a loss to understand your contempt for Mike Weir. Has he let you down in some personal way in the past? Frys Open may have had a diluted field, but he did compete, and actually beat, the world's best under overwhelming pressure. Give the man a break - try praising someone (ANYONE)for a change, pls.
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§ NOW U KNOW said on : 10/22/07 @ 16:20
TIGER vs. ROGER - Golf and tennis have 4 majors every year. Tiger won his first major in 1997. From 1997-2007 Tiger has won 13 out of 44 majors. A wining percentage of 29.54% and Tiger is age 31. Roger won his first major in 2003. From 2003-2007 Roger won 12 out of 20 majors. A wining percentage of 60% and Roger is age 26. Looking at these stats who would you bet on to win more majors in 2008? In 2007 Roger Federer won WIMBLEDON for the 5the consecutive year in a row! And you golfer thought Tiger was dominant on grass? Any questions on who is the more dominant athlete?
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§ Shanks® said on : 10/23/07 @ 16:04
Left out of those stats, however, is the fact that golf does not lend itself to dominance, whereas tennis does. That's like comparing Jim Brown to Ted Williams. Makes no sense to compare different sports, not now, not ever.
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§ Ron Mon® said on : 10/23/07 @ 19:03
I'm on the Shanks Train, in the Engine, baby! Silly Season is unofficial events, and these are anything but unofficial. Mark Hensby just grabbed his card with a second-place finish. David Branshaw was poised to move way up after a top 15 at Turning Stone and the third-round lead in Mississippi. He had a crummy fourth round, missed the cut the next two weeks, and now has little hope of retaining his card through money-list placement. Silly Season my frontal lobe!!!!
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