Mike Weir
The left-handed golfer who slipped on the green jacket at Augusta, ending Canada's long wait for a men's major champion.
Born 1970 (age 56)·Canadian professional golfer·Birthday: May 12·Generation X
Biography
Mike Weir's swing was always unorthodox, a left-handed motion that carved a unique path through the world of professional golf. Hailing from Sarnia, Ontario, he turned professional in 1992 and spent years grinding on tours, his game built more on meticulous precision and a steely short game than overwhelming power. His breakthrough was a masterpiece of nerve. At the 2003 Masters, he outdueled Len Mattiace in a playoff, his final putt securing a victory that resonated across the 49th parallel. He became a national icon overnight, the first and still only Canadian man to win a major championship. While injuries later hampered his consistency, that week at Augusta cemented his legacy as the player who proved Canadian golf could conquer the sport's highest peak.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Mike was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Mike Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Mike's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the 2003 Masters Tournament, becoming the first Canadian man to win a major golf championship.
- Spent over 110 consecutive weeks ranked inside the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking.
- Won eight PGA Tour events, including the Tour Championship in 2001.
- Inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 2009 and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.
Did You Know?
He is a natural right-hander but plays golf left-handed, having learned by mirroring his right-handed father's swing.
He is an avid hockey fan and played the sport competitively as a goaltender in his youth.
The 'Mike Weir Charity Classic' golf tournament has raised millions for children's causes in Canada.
“I think the biggest thing I learned from that Masters is that you have to be patient. You can't force it.”
