Mike Weir will not play the Northern Trust Open
Mike Weir will not be in the field of the Northern Trust Open, as he has been refused sponsor’s exemption.
The 41-year-old Canadian professional golf player returned to golf after a lay-off period at AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. He had failed to make the cut there due to bad performance.
Now, even worse has happened, as he was dropped from the field of the Northern Trust Open, taking place from February 16 to 19, at Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades in California.
He is facing tough times as there is no sponsor exemption for him.
“It’s hard to believe that a two-time champion, and within the last nine years, would not be given an exemption,” Bill Paul said, the RBC Canadian Open’s Tournament Director.
“I am not saying that as a Canadian. I know there are tough choices, but he is a former champion. I don’t know of too many tournaments that would reject a former champ. Oh well, maybe they have other reasons,” he continued.
He won twice on the same course in the past. However, the Professional Golf Association Tour is still not giving him a chance to play at the Riviera CC.
He won the Nissan Open at the Riviera in 2003 and 2004. Having enough knowledge about the course helped the Canadian secure a win twice.
These victories are not convincing the PGA officials to allow him to be in the field. The main issue for being dropped is linked to his grim performance in the recent events.
He lost a chance to be in the field of Northern Trust Open, as he failed to make the cut at Pebble Beach. Had he been able to be under par or better, he would have finished the tournament in the top-10.
A top-10 finish was the only hope for him to be at Northern Trust Open, but he lost it. Now there is no chance for him to play in the upcoming tournament.
The eight-time PGA Tour winner suffered an elbow injury and went through surgery in August 2011.
Since then, he has not played any event and it was Pebble Beach where he displayed his comeback.
He has also been looking to win the tournament since 2007. Fry's Electronics Open was the last event he won by a one-stroke lead. Sadly, he cannot fulfill his desires and goals at Riviera Country Club this year.
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