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MAKING THE CONNECTION LEGENDS OF GOLF PARTICIPANT, AND CANADA’S OWN, MIKE WEIR BECAME THE FIRST CANADIAN MALE GOLFER TO WIN A MAJOR WITH 2003 MASTERS VICTORY ...A look at the career of Mike Weir as PEI prepares to welcome the golfing ‘Legends’ next month CHARLOTTETOWN, Prince Edward Island (June 27, 2007) - It’s a long, improbable road from childhood dreams on the local golf course in Sarnia, Ontario to winning the Masters, but Mike Weir has lived it, and in the process, has become a Canadian sports hero. Like most young Canadians, Weir first dreamed of playing professional hockey, but his fate changed when he picked up his first golf club. His determination, first seen as he spent entire days in the summer hitting balls at Huron Oaks under the mentorship of Steve Bennett, and then later as a star on the Brigham Young University golf team, helped him achieve great success in the early years of his professional career on the Canadian Tour, where he won Rookie of the Year Honours in 1993 and led the Order of Merit in 1997, before reaching the PGA Tour in 1998. In 1999, Weir won his first PGA Tour title at the 1999 Air Canada Championship with a two-stroke victory over Fred Funk, becoming the first Canadian to win on Tour since Richard Zokol won the 1992 Greater Milwaukee Open and the first Canadian to win on native soil since Pat Fletcher won the 1954 Canadian Open. In 2000, Weir became the first Canadian to play in the President’s Cup, where he led the international team with a 3-2-0 record. He was also named to the President’s Cup team in 2003 and 2005. Weir would go on to win four more tournaments on the PGA Tour before the defining moment of his career to date at the 2003 Masters. Weir emerged as one of the game’s brightest stars with his Masters victory, a dramatic playoff win over Len Mattiace, and came back to a hero’s welcome in Canada, which included him dropping the ceremonial face-off at a Toronto Maple Leafs playoff game, the perfect ‘Canadian-style’ celebration for the hockey fan Weir. His breakthrough year on the PGA Tour earned him the 2003 Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s top athlete of the year and the Lionel Conacher Award, given to Canada’s top male athlete of the year, an award he previously won in 2000 and 2001. Weir has used his success as a professional golfer as a platform for helping other families in need with the creation of the Mike Weir Foundation in 2004, and this year will see the launch of a national fundraising program through his foundation, called the Mike Weir Miracle Golf Drive for Kids, supporting Children’s Miracle Network. Mike Weir has enjoyed success in golf unmatched by any other Canadian, but in his mind, there is still plenty of work to do when your goal is to be one of the best in the world. In July, Canadian golf fans can look forward to seeing this ‘Legend of Golf’ go head-to-head against Vijay Singh when the two come to Prince Edward Island’s Crowbush Cove Golf Course at the Rodd Crowbush Golf and Beach Resort for the second edition of the Making the Connection® Legends of Golf. It is fitting that Singh and Weir will be in PEI immediately after the Canadian Open, an event that witnessed a famous duel between the two at Glen Abbey in 2004. Weir was in a position to become the first Canadian in more than 50 years to win the Canadian Open title on Sunday, before Singh, who was ranked the number one player in the world at the time, overcame him in a playoff to take the championship. Singh talked at the time about how Weir was the only player he didn’t want to beat in that tournament, knowing how important it was to the popular Canadian player. In addition to that Canadian Open showdown, the two players share the honour of being owners of the famous ‘green jacket’ as winners of the Masters Tournament, as well as being two of the most recognized international players in the world. Both also share the reputation as two of the hardest working players in golf. Prior to the featured match between Weir and Singh on July 30, The Links at Crowbush Cove at Rodd Crowbush Golf and Beach Resort will feature the Making the Connection Legends of Golf ‘Fan Fest’ from 1 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 29. The day will feature a host of family-oriented golf activities for ticket holders, including a long-drive exhibition by four-time world champion Jason Zuback, a public clinic by world-class instructors, golf skills contests with the chance to win a grand prize of a trip for two to the 2007 LG Skins Game in California, and public viewing areas to follow the Canadian Open live. “It’s going to be an exciting time next month as these two golfing greats come to Prince Edward Island immediately after competing for the Canadian Open title,” said Brad Pelletier, Vice President and Managing Director, IMG Canada. “We’re especially looking forward to the Fan Fest at The Links at Crowbush Cove at Rodd Crowbush Golf and Beach Resort. It gives all of the fans the chance to get involved, improve their golf skills through the clinics, and of course, win a trip to the Skins Game in California. It will be a perfect way for golf fans to celebrate golf on the island and the arrival of Mike Weir and Vijay Singh for the Making the Connection Legends of Golf.” Tickets for the Making the Connection Legends of Golf are $60 (plus tax) with a special 50 per cent discount for junior fans under the age of 16. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketweb, with more ticket information available at www.legendsofgolfpei.com. As one of Canada’s premier golf destinations, Prince Edward Island plays official host to this professional golf event, which is a partnership between IMG Canada, Tourism PEI and Making the Connection. Making the Connection is a program dedicated to the ongoing education of Canadians about the health risks of high cholesterol, and to encouraging Canadians to take action to control high cholesterol in order to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (HSFC) is the designated charity for the Making the Connection Legends of Golf, as well as a partner of the Making the Connection program. The partnership also includes the Canadian Lipid Nurse Network, the Canadian Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation, Diabetes Québec, and Pfizer Canada Inc. For more information about cholesterol, Canadians should speak to a health care professional, visit www.makingtheconnection.ca, or call 1-877-4-LOW-LDL.
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