It was an exciting weekend for Golf Town athlete Mike Weir  at the Insperity Invitational, recording his first win on PGA Tour Champions. This is Weir’s first professional win since 2007 and the Canadian golf legend is now looking to build off the momentum as he heads into the first PGA Tour Champions major of the season.

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The tournament was condensed to only 36 holes, after heavy rain delayed the start to Saturday afternoon. Weir shot 4-under in the final round, battling fellow major champions David Toms, and a bearded John Daly down the stretch. But Toms and Daly couldn’t catch Weir, finishing in a tie for second, giving the Canadian the win. Weir said he was very aware of Daly’s strong play through the back nine. Daly, the winner of the British Open and PGA Championship, was 5-under and had a share of the lead heading into the final hole. “I was watching the board for sure,” Weir said. “I was watching the whole time.”

Weir had one of the historic runs in Canadian sports history in 2003 and 2004, winning the Masters and three other tournaments during that stretch. But injuries soon after left him struggling for several years. However, he’s played well since joining PGA Tour Champions, recording five Top 10 finishes in the last year, putting himself in contention numerous times.

“It means a lot—it means a ton,” Weir said immediately after holing his par to finish at 10-under with a two-shot lead. “I played really well today and hit the ball really well. I was still off with my putting down the stretch. I made it hard on myself. But I hit the shots when I needed them down the stretch.”

Next up, Weir heads to Alabama for the PGA Tour Champions’  first major championship this week at the Regions Tradition.

While he appeared in one major last year after the pandemic shutdown, the Regions Tradition is his first regularly scheduled championship on the tour. Weir also appeared at the Masters in April. His confidence coming into the tournament should be at an all-time high after having this win under his belt, plus two Top 10 finishes in his last four starts.

One of the elements for his recent strong play is Weir’s ability to drive the ball. For several years on the PGA Tour, Weir struggled with injuries and lost confidence in his driving ability. But working with Alabama-based Mark Blackburn as a swing instructor has led Weir to find his form with the driver, an element that’s key to success on PGA Tour Champions.

“There’s a lot of guys out here who can still hit it a long way,” Weir says. “For me, it really starts with driving it well. You have so many more options once you get the ball in play, especially if you’re finding a lot of fairways.”

Weir says one of the biggest challenges he’s noticed during his time on PGA Tour Champions is the fact the tournaments are only three rounds instead of four. That means a hot start—often in the mid-60s—is essential to having a strong week. He noted a recent tournament where he shot even-par, and Fred Couples recorded an opening round of 9-under, leaving Weir trying to catch up.

“On the PGA Tour, you might have the chance to get to the weekend and make up some ground,” Weir said. “But it is really hard out here to make up that many shots.”

Weir recently signed on as a Golf Town Athlete, sharing his insights into the game through videos on his social channels. Weir admits that in the past he would have been reluctant to embrace such an outgoing role. But through the support of his girlfriend, former Bachelor TV show star Michelle Money, Weir is enjoying taking a more public role.

“With age comes perspective,” says Weir. “When I was younger, I was very focused and very single-minded, maybe too much, and had trouble balancing everything in my life. But now I’m really enjoying this opportunity.”