Mike Weir added as Assistant Captain to International Presidents Cup team
For the first time in event history, Presidents Cup team captains have the option to add a fourth assistant to their respective teams. Today, U.S. Team Captain Steve Stricker and International Team Captain Nick Price announced Jim Furyk and Mike Weir (Canada) as their fourth captains’ assistants, respectively, for the 2017 Presidents Cup.
Weir will join the International Team as a first-time captain’s assistant after having competed in five Presidents Cups (2000, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009); he was a teammate of Price in the 2000 and 2003 events. The eight-time PGA TOUR winner is 13-9-2 all-time at the Presidents Cup and one of five International Team members with 10 or more match wins in the competition. In 2007, the Presidents Cup was staged in Canada for the first time, and Weir put on a show for his Canadians fans with a 3-1-1 record that was capped by a thrilling 1-up victory over Tiger Woods in Singles.
Of his eight PGA TOUR victories, Weir’s career is highlighted by his breakthrough playoff win at the 2003 Masters – one of three titles he collected that season.
“The Presidents Cup has been such a big part of my professional career, and some of my fondest memories are from the competition and, perhaps even more so, the team cabins,” said Weir. “I’m excited to be a part of the International Team again, especially alongside Ernie, Geoff and Tony, with an aim to help Captain Price and the International Team win back the Cup.”
The biennial competition pits the United States against a team of players from countries outside Europe.
As a member of captain Nick Price’s crew, Weir won’t play in the Sept. 26-Oct. 1 event at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J.
His role will be to support Price in decisions on pairings and provide advice to the players leading up to and during the event.
The native of the Sarnia, Ont., community Bright’s Grove doesn’t have any PGA Tour status this year. His play has been impacted in recent years by injuries and time off for personal reasons.
A Masters champion in 2003, Weir defeated Tiger Woods 1-up in front of some 35,000 Presidents Cup fans at Royal Montreal in 2007.
At the time, Weir said when he looks back on his career, that win “may be even more special than winning the Masters.”
Weir also played in two matches with Price at the 2000 and 2003 Presidents Cups.
There are currently no Canadians with enough points to automatically qualify for the International team. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., is the highest-ranked Canadian at 26th.
