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Weir joins lefty Charles' club
Posted: Monday April 14, 2003 12:10 AM
Updated: Monday April 14, 2003 2:15 AM
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Before Mike Weir won the Masters on Sunday, Bob Charles of New Zealand had been the only left-handed player to win a major. He won the 1963 British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. File/AugustaChronicle |
By John Boyette
The Augusta Chronicle
Bob Charles was rooting hard for Mike Weir to win the Masters Tournament on Sunday.
Never mind the fact that Charles, a native of New Zealand, would lose his claim to fame as the only left-handed golfer to win one of the game's four major championships.
"I think it's fantastic. I watched every shot (Sunday)," said Charles, who now makes his home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. "It's great to see another left-hander win a major."
Weir became the first Canadian golfer to win a major Sunday as he prevailed in a sudden-death playoff over Len Mattiace.
The native of Sarnia, Ontario, was well aware that Charles had been the only golfer to win a major playing left-handed. Charles won the 1963 British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in a 36-hole playoff against Phil Rodgers.
In fact, Weir and Charles played a practice round at that course when it held the 2001 British Open.
"We had a great day and he's a great gentleman, obviously," Weir said. "I know he would be pretty happy today as well."
Although left-handers are still rare at the professional level, Charles stood out as the top one of his generation.
"We're a minority group, you know," he said. "The odds are quite stacked against us."
Charles competed against Canadian golfers Al Balding, Stan Leonard and George Knudson, who finished second at the 1969 Masters - previously the best finish for a Canadian in a major.
"They were all great players, but they never won a major," Charles said.
Most experts also figured it would be impossible for a left-handed player to win the Masters, where the course favors a player with a natural right-to-left draw. Yet fellow lefty Phil Mickelson, who finished third for the third-straight year, has long been one of the favorites at Augusta National.
"It doesn't suit a left-to-right player," said Charles, whose best finish in 15 Masters was 15th in 1963. "Mike is basically left to right. Credit him, though. The shortest putt I saw him miss was on No. 16 (for birdie)."
Weir doesn't think this will be the last time a left-hander makes noise in a major championship.
"Phil's been close, obviously, in the last few years," he said. "But there's other lefties out there that are coming up. There's five other guys, I believe, on tour that have their cards and there will be more to come."
Charles, a regular on the Champions Tour, has been sidelined with tennis elbow and hopes to get back into action at the upcoming Legends of Golf event in Savannah, Ga.
But Sunday night, all he could do was salute Weir.
"Mike is now the toast of Canada," he said.
Copyright 2003 The Augusta Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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