Mike Weir will begin his comeback from injury alongside a man who's overcome health problems of his own.
The Canadian golfer has hired veteran Pete Bender to be his caddy through at least the first part of 2011 as he returns to the PGA Tour from a five-month injury absence.
Bender, who's carried the bag for greats such as Greg Norman and Ray Floyd during his 40-year career, beat throat cancer a couple of years ago.
He's healthy now. And Weir says he is, too.
"We have the same outlook and passion for the game," Weir said in a conference call with the media on Thursday, explaining why he chose Bender. "I want someone who has experience and who is passionate about winning."
Weir needed a new caddy after his long-time looper and friend Brennan Little left him at the end of 2010 to work for Sean O'Hair, a 28-year-old American who's considered among the best young players in the game.
Little saw better earning potential in O'Hair than in Weir, who's 40 and coming off the injury-plagued season in which he earned just $560,000 (all currency U.S.).
Weir placed 151st on the PGA Tour's money list last year, the worst finish since he joined the circuit in 1998, and did not earn full-time playing privileges for this season. He needed to be inside the top 125. However, the tour extended his card for five tournaments because of the time he missed with his injury, a partially torn ligament in his right elbow.
If he can win about $230,000 in those events, he'll reach the amount the No. 125 player earned last year and keep his card for the rest of 2011. If he doesn't, he can still expect to play nearly a full schedule.
Weir likes his chances. He told reporters he's been practising in Hawaii and had no major problems or setbacks with his elbow, which he's healed with rest and exercise rather than surgery. He swung without hesitation.
He added, however, that he'll try to limit his practice time this year to prevent a recurrence of the tear. "I'm going to have to really watch the number of balls I hit," he said.
Weir will play in West Coast events at which he's had success before, including the Bob Hope Classic, where he'll begin his season on Jan. 29. The eight-time PGA Tour winner is a past champion of the Hope and a two-time winner at the Nissan Open (now called the Northern Trust Open), which he'll enter in February.
In Bender, who last worked for Australian Aaron Baddeley, Weir will have a sage caddy who knows the West Coast well. Now in his 60s, the caddy cut his teeth at fabled California courses such as Cypress Point and Pebble Beach Golf Links and is regarded as an excellent reader of greens. In 2001, Sports Illustrated called him the "most underrated" caddy in the game's history.
Weir is scheduled to play the tour's stop at Pebble Beach in February.
His partnership with Bender, who's been on the bag for two British Open victories (Norman in 1986 and Ian Baker Finch in 1991), could be extended indefinitely if they work well together in the first five tournaments.