Golf Update: A new caddie for Mike Weir
The golf professional Mike Weir will be accompanied by his new caddie Pete Bender on the golf courses now. Bender, who was struggling with throat cancer in 2008, is going to replace Brennan Little. Little, who is a long time friend of Weir, will be working
for Sean O’ Hair now. Mike discussed the opportunity of a new caddie with many players but chose Pete due to his experience in the game. Bender will be caddying for Mike in the Tour’s season-opening events in the west coast and eve more.
At one time, Pete was called the most underrated caddie in the history of golf. Pete, however, is a preferred caddie by golf legends such as Lanny Wadkins and Jack Nicklaus. Accompanying Ian Baker-Finch, Bender’s assistance led to Ian winning the British
Open. Also caddying for Rocco Mediate and Greg Norman, Pete most recently caddied for Aaron Baddeley
"He's a great guy," Weir said. "I wanted someone with experience and someone who was passionate about winning, like i am, and not just out there for a paycheque.”
Mike had a forgettable year in 2010. With an inured right elbow last year, the player finished 177th on the money list. Mike injured himself when a he hit a tree root hidden under pine needles. This happened when Mike was golfing during the Verizon
Heritage Tournament at Hilton Head, South Carolina. Even though the elbow felt fine after Mike iced it that night, the injury got worse progressively.
It was obvious that the injury got to Mike. This year he had five missed cuts in the eight tournaments, including the RBC Canadian Open in Toronto and the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina.
It took a while to diagnose the eight-time PGA Tour winner had a torn ligament. After this, he took the season off and accumulated an earning of $559,092 this year.
The player will now play thanks to the medical exemption he has received. Allowed for five tournaments, Mike has to make a certain amount of money in order to be secure on the tour. In case the player doesn’t earn the $227,000 in the five events, he will
have to look for sponsor invitations or any exemptions because of rank on the career money list. Currently, Weir is number 12 on the career money list with $26.8 million dollars.
Hopefully, with Pete Bender as his new caddie, Mike will be able to achieve his goal and have a productive season in 2011.
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