by Jim Miller for the Sarnia Observer
(2003) It was arguably the greatest sporting achievement by a Sarnia-born athlete in history.
Mike Weir, who grew up in Bright’s Grove, played his junior golf at Huron Oaks and attended school first at St. Michael’s and then at St. Clair Secondary School, had just won the 2003 Masters.
The stunning achievement took many by surprise. After all, who would have predicted the soft-spoken leftie would win golf’s Holy Grail? He wasn’t a stranger to competing in Majors, having been on the PGA Tour for five years.
It was no exaggeration to say Las Vegas odds-makers didn’t have a lot of faith in him.
The Observer relied on many sources, including Canadian Press, which is affiliated with Associated Press, to bring readers the full story. Within hours, there were over 20 different photos to choose from of Weir, who edged out Len Mattiace in a sudden-death playoff hole to capture his first green jacket. To give a local spin to the story, (Observer) staff contacted his mother, as well as the former principal of St. Clair and friends of the family. Everyone was willing to share their thoughts on Mike, even though Rosalee Weir had little to say, stating she was in shock.
This story wasn’t limited to Canada. Weir landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated, a publication which virtually ignored him throughout the early stages of his career. The Observer’s sports department even received calls from news outlets in England and Scotland, wanting to know more details on our hometown hero. Media crews from other outlets descended on Sarnia, including a crew from CNN which stopped at St. Michael’s.
The day after his win, Weir’s public relations company from Canada arranged for a 25-minute conference call with media outlets from across our country. The Observer was included and (was) given the first two questions of the session, (asking) what he did to celebrate and what he’d like to say to the people in Sarnia. Weir praised the local support he’d received throughout his life and basically said ‘thank you’ to Sarnia-Lambton. Although unknown in many places of the United States (Provo, Utah being an exception), Weir was well-known on Canadian soil as a four-time winner on the PGA Tour and the Canadian Press Athlete of the Year.
The 2003 Masters was one of the highest-rated TV sporting events in Canadian history. Within days, nationally known sports commentators were predicting that 20 years from now it would rank up there with ‘where were you when Paul Henderson scored?’