Mike Weir heads back to Arizona this week looking to retain the crown he won 12 months ago at the Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club.
Canadian looking for repeat success in Arizona
Mike Weir heads back to Arizona this week looking to retain the crown he won 12 months ago at the Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club.
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The Canadian had been without a PGA Tour title for almost four years prior to that victory, but having waited so long to break his duck Weir believes he is now playing well enough to claim a repeat triumph in Scottsdale when the Frus.com Open gets underway on Thursday.
"This year I'm playing well," stated the 38-year-old who has five top ten finishes in his last seven Tour starts.
"I've been playing well the last two months and have been kind of building on that."
Weir edged out Australian Mark Hensby by a single stroke in 2007 and admits that narrow success brought with it a mixture of joy and relief.
"Three-and-a-half years was a long time to wait," he continued.
"Since my first year on Tour it's been the longest stretch without winning. It was a tough few years but I feel like things are back on track.
"It was great to win, to play so well at the end of the year and get a win. It was real important for my confidence."
Top-ranked
At 22 in the world, Weir heads to Grayhawk as the top-ranked player in the field for the $5 million tournament.
However, he is only seven ahead of a man who many fancy to be a factor this week - Scottsdale resident Aaron Baddeley.
The Australian is without a win to his name this year, but the 27-year-old will fancy his chances, especially considering his last win came at the 2007 FBR Open at nearby TPC Scottsdale.
But while victory will be the only thing concerning some players, others will have next season's playing privileges on their minds.
Only three more events remain on the 2008 Tour schedule for those in the lower reaches of the money-list to haul themselves into the top 125, thus securing their card for 2009.
Among those who need a big performance in the next few weeks are former major winners Davis Love III (125th), Rich Beem (133rd) and Tom Lehman (134th), although with two top tens in his last three outings, Love III will head to Arizona in confident mood.
