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 became the first Canadian man to win a major championship at the 2003 Masters, outdueling Len Mattiace in a playoff. Born in Sarnia, Ontario, he turned professional in 1992 and built his game on precision and a strong short game rather than power. His left-handed swing was unconventional. The Masters victory made him a national figure. Injuries later affected his consistency, but that week at Augusta National remains a milestone for Canadian golf.
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.”
