It’s been a tough stretch for Mike Weir.
So, it was with little surprise and little fanfare that he announced this weekend he would withdraw from the Canadian Open and take a timeout from his golf career for an indeterminate amount of time while he admirably focuses his life on his family.
Weir can be counted among the good guys. He’s a quiet, somewhat private man. He is a tremendously gifted athlete with impressive golf skills and acumen. I join a legion of admirers who wish him well during this time. His friends certainly have his back here in Utah.
This decision, which Weir announced to followers on Twitter Friday, comes a week before he was scheduled to make his 25th appearance in his native country’s national championship — the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club near Toronto.
“Mike’s busy, and we don’t see him a lot, but he’s a great friend and a good guy, and we wish the best for him,” said Provo’s Riverside Country Club head professional Robert McArthur, who has known Weir since he began his college career at BYU.
“He’s a smart guy, and he’ll figure it out. He’s a fighter, a determined guy. He’s very nice, but I’ll tell you something, he’s as competitive as anyone you can be around. He’s not done. He’s got his priorities in line. He’s a good guy, and his family is important to him, and his kids mean a lot to him.”
Weir, of Draper, makes this decision after several years of battling through elbow pain following surgery. This year, Weir has entered 18 tournaments and made the cut 14 times with three withdrawals, the latest coming a week ago at the John Deere Classic after shooting a first-round 73.
Weir gave no timeline and no hint of when he may return to his professional career. He expressed his love for the game and that he will return, but he was specific that he needs this time to spend with his family, and that the domestic pull is all-important now in his life.
He and his wife, Bricia, recently divorced.
McArthur has been in the golf business long enough to see how mental issues can impact the golf games of some of the highest level competitors.
“Until you are mentally able to do that (take care of family), you cannot go out and fully compete when you are worried about taking care of your kids,” said McArthur. "You really can’t. You always worry about kids no matter what you are doing, but you can’t go out and play on the same competitive level you did before without knowing things are right. He’s awesome. He’s got his head on straight.”
Weir’s resume is impressive, including a green jacket as the 2003 Masters Champion. He has eight PGA Tour victories, 10-second place finishes, 69 top 10s and has earned $27.9 million in career earnings. He is currently ranked 488th in the World Rankings and is 213th in the FedEx Cup points.
The PGA Tour life can be a rat race for a family. Daniel Summerhays tries to take his wife and family to as many events as he can to keep his family structure as normal as possible. The native of Farmington, Utah, has played in 23 events, made 16 cuts and earned just under a million bucks. He ranks 70th in FedEx Cup points.
I saw tour rookie Tony Finau this past week at the Web.com media day at Thanksgiving Point. He took the week off from the PGA Tour while the British Open takes place at St. Andrews. He said he needed the break and that he’d been burning the candle at both ends. It has been a tough run where he’s climbed to 40th in FedEx standings. To do so, he’s already played in 25 events in the wrap-around season earning $1.62 million.
Weir has cashed checks totaling $72,800 on Tour this year.
He earned 11 times that a year ago.
As many superstars on the globe can attest, there are far more important things in life than bags of money or hoisting trophies.
Dick Harmon, Deseret News sports columnist, can be found on Twitter as Harmonwrites and can be contacted at dharmon@desnews.com.