Mike Weir

Weir had surgery on the extensor tendon in his right elbow in August. The damage was more extensive than first thought as a tendon had torn away almost completely from the bone. He was granted a Non-Exempt Medical Extension on the PGA Tour in 2012. He is hoping to be ready to play in February. He has three events to earn $644,854 to retain his tour card. However, he may play on the European Tour since he's fully exempt as former champions have a 12-year exemption for former majors winners. Either way, his status for 2012 PGA Tour leagues looks bleak given his injury risk and the fact he may play elsewhere.

Weir was limited due a torn ligament in his right elbow last season. When healthy, he's an obvious pick to improve from last season when he made just $559,092. There's no way to tell if he's fully healthy, but even if he's not, he still has value for 2011. Weir was scheduled to play some in December 2010, keep a close eye on how he performs, better yet, make sure he finishes the events. That should be all you need to pull the trigger. Weir struggles to get to the green, but once there, he's one of the better putters on the PGA TOUR.

Weir was very consistent in 2009 making the cut in 20 of 24 events played, including 12 top-25s and six top-10s. Weir was unable to win last year, but he found the top-3 twice. Although Weir played his best early in the year, like he usually does, he was able to string together some top-10s during the heart of the season, including one at the U.S. Open and one at the Bridgestone Invitational. Weir's high side is already known - he earned nearly $5 million in 2003. While a repeat of that is highly unlikely, he should continue to work his way back to that form in 2010. Weir, who finished 2008 ranked at 21st, slipped to 36th in the final 2009 Official World Golf Rankings.

Weir started the 2008 well with a fourth place finish at the Mercedes Open, but he lost his game soon after. His slump lasted through May, but he picked it up with a tie for second place at the first event in June. His 2008 number is pretty high, but he's shown the ability to earn much more than that as he did in 2005 when he earned nearly five million.

Mike Weir had a consistent, yet unspectacular 2007 season. For most of the season he had trouble getting everything lined up. The stars finally aligned late in the year at Fry's Electronic Open. A win is a win, but the Fry's isn't exactly the Masters. Weir seems to be stuck in the mud. He's been in the hunt often over the last few years, but other than the win late in the season last year, he's failed to find that extra gear. Weir has played at a lower level since 2004, and the further we get away from his Masters win, the more likely it seems that he was playing a little above his head back then.

After a disappointing end to the 2005 season, Weir bounced back well in 2006. He wasn't able to show the form that made him a Masters champion, but he was consistent throughout the season. During a stretch from February through August, he didn't miss a single cut. On the flip side, he never finished higher than third during that run. Considering how bad he was playing at the end of 2005, last season has to be considered a success. Weir should be able to build on that success in 2007.

Looking at Weir's 2005 stats, it’s a wonder he even cracked $1 million. He was 158th in driving distance, 169th in greens and 173rd in putting. Yet he managed to make more than $1.3 million. The only reason behind the earnings is he started 2005 fairly well. He actually played decent through the Masters where he tied for fifth, but after that event he crashed hard. He missed the next four cuts and six out of seven. He could manage nothing better than a 15th-place finish the rest of the year. This is not unfamiliar ground to Weir. He went through a similar scenario a few years back and proceeded to follow up an awful year with his best season ever. We probably won't see quite the same resurgence this time around, but it's hard to believe a player of his caliber can continue to play so poorly.

Weir could not have started 2003 any better with two wins in February and his first Major at Augusta. However, after his third place finish at the Western Open in early July, he only reached the Top Ten two more times. That would be good for most, but Weir set the bar higher for himself last year. For most of the year Weir was the front-runner for Player of the Year, but he faded near the end and was passed by Woods and Singh. Weir's 2003 was not so high that he can't do better. Look for an even better year in 2004. Weir should again be a factor at least three of the Majors, and will again win his share of tourneys.