GOLF ROUNDUP : Weir Wins One for Canada

L.A. Times Archives

Sept. 6, 1999 12 AM PT

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From Associated Press

With a gallery full of countrymen cheering him on, Canadian Mike Weir used an eagle at the 14th hole as a springboard to his first PGA victory in the Air Canada Championship at Surrey Sunday.

Weir shot a seven-under-par 64 for a total of 18-under 266 to pick up $450,000 and become the first Canadian to win on native soil since Pat Fletcher won the 1954 Canadian Open.

Weir gave credit to his eagle from 159 yards on No. 14, and the emotional lift from the crowd that came with it, for being the spark he needed on the final hole.

“That was pretty special. It came off perfect. I couldn’t have imagined it or visualized it any better. For it to go in, it was unbelievable,” Weir said.

Fred Funk, who was on No. 13 at the time of the outburst, backed off his putt. And playing partner Carlos Franco, the leader at the time, grumbled something. Weir, meanwhile, raised his arms and smiled.

Weir, 29, overcame a persistent drizzle to become the first Canadian to win on tour since Richard Zokol won the Greater Milwaukee Open in 1992.

“That’s hard to describe. Obviously, I don’t think it’s hit me yet,” said Weir, who was 14 under over the final two days.

Funk, the third-round leader who shot a 68, finished second at 268. Franco, who had a 69, finished third, four shots behind Weir.

Beginning the day 11 under and two behind Funk, Weir gained a share of the lead by going three under on the front nine, capped with a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 9. That put him into a brief three-way tie atop the leaderboard with Funk and Franco. After a birdie on 12 and a bogey on 13, Weir took control on the next hole.

From the first cut of rough left of the fairway, Weir aimed his second shot at the pin of the par-four, 400-yard hole. His shot hopped four times on the green before rolling 12 feet to bounce in off the flag stick. The eagle vaulted Weir to 17 under, giving him a two-shot lead over Funk and Franco, who at the time was struggling to save a bogey, making a 25-foot putt on 13.

Weir then clinched the victory with a 20-foot birdie putt on 16 that took him to 18 under, at the time three shots ahead of Funk, his nearest contender.

Funk’s last hope to force a playoff ended when his tee shot at the par-four 18th landed in the rough, forcing him to lay up in front of the pond guarding the green. He eventually settled for a bogey.

Janice Moodie shot a five-under 67 to take a two-stroke lead over four players after two rounds of the LPGA Rail Classic at Springfield, Ill.

Moodie, the 26-year-old native of Scotland who has seven top-10 finishes this year, leads a group at 10-under 134 that includes first-round co-leaders Karen Stupples and Tina Barrett, Colombian rookie Marisa Baena, who entered the tournament as an alternate, and Mi Hyun Kim of South Korea.

Stupples, who played on the British amateur circuit with Moodie, had a horrible start to her round at the 6,403-yard Rail Golf Club course but rallied to shoot a 70.

She topped her drive on No. 1 and didn’t reach the fairway, then followed that with a second shot that skidded along the grass. She managed a bogey.

Allen Doyle birdied four of the final seven holes for a seven-under-par 65 and a two-shot victory in the inaugural TD Waterhouse Senior PGA Championship at Kansas City.

Doyle, who made only one bogey over the 54 holes, finished with an 18-under 198 total for his fourth victory of the year. He finished two shots in front of second-round leader Ed Dougherty.

European Ryder Cup player Lee Westwood of England shot a final-round six-under 65 for a two-stroke victory and $250,000 at the European Masters at Crans-Sur-Sierre, Switzerland.

Westwood, who finished at 14-under 270, found it difficult to shake Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn until an eagle at the 15th hole.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

The Finish Line

$2.5-MILLION AIR CANADA CHAMPIONSHIP

266 (-18)--$450,000

Mike Weir: 68-70-64-64

268 (-16)--$270,000

Fred Funk: 71-64-65-68

270 (-14)--$170,000

Carlos Franco: 67-67-67-69

272 (-12)--$103,333

Scott McCarron: 72-67-72-61