Mike Weir is playing this week in the Australian PGA Championship

European Tour Australian PGA Championship leaderboard http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2018/tournamentid=2017096/leaderboard/index.html#/leaderboard

Summer is in full blast down under in Australia and so is the Australasian tour, last week in Sydney it was the Emirates Australian Open won by Aussie Cameron Davis.

This week they are playing the Australian PGA Championship on the RACV Royal Pines Resort course in a city called Gold Coast which is in the state of Queensland, southeast of the state capital Brisbane, on the east coast.

That's where you will find our own Mike Weir, who will turn 48 in May, and has an OWGR of 1928. He continues to play top competitive golf here and there wherever he gets an invitation as a past major winner, the 2003 Masters of course.

He played and finished T35 back in August at the Fiji International organized in part by his friend Vijay Singh who you will remember beat Mike in that memorable 2004 Canadian Open at the Abbey on the 3rd playoff hole.

He also shows up from time to time on invitation in Europe and plays over here each year at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and the Northern Trust which he won twice at Riviera, amongst others. After taking time away from the game in 2015 to be with his daughters after his divorce from his wife Bricia and to get fit and healthy again he has returned with their blessing to resume his career.

His net worth is estimated at $32.5m. Weirsy as he is known to one and all is in that twilight zone of pro golf, late 40's waiting until he turns 50 on May 12, 2020 to join the Champions Tour, if in fact he decides to do that, and I suspect he will.

He needs reps under competitive conditions, and he won't get that until he turns 50, unless he catches lightning in a bottle and wins. He says the injuries to his left elbow tendon and wrist have "derailed his career", forcing him to change his swing with a few coaches including David Leadbetter.

He has exhausted his 2 career money list exemptions, and his major medical exemption for the PGA Tour.

As for this week Sergio Garcia is the highest ranked player and he is T3 after an opening -5 67 a shot behind 2 Aussies, Jordan Zunic and Adam Bland, both with 66's.

Bryan Angus