Weir in contention Another lefty besides Mickelson in the hunt at PGA Click here for more on this story Posted: Friday August 13, 1999 10:53 PM   Weir is trying to become the first left-handed golfer to win a major since 1963. AP MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) -- A lefty is in contention in the PGA Championship. No, it's not Phil Mickelson. Mike Weir's hot streak in Chicago continued with a 4-under 68 Friday, leaving him one stroke behind leader Jay Haas. If not for two bogeys on the last three holes, he'd be on top of the leaderboard. "The golf course sets up well for me," said Weir, who finished second in last month's Western Open. "It's a beautiful golf course and I feel very comfortable on it, too. Both Cog Hill and here. "At both golf courses, I have to drive the ball and keep it in the fairway because the rough was deep," he said. "Luckily, I've been driving it well." Or maybe it's the Chicago factor. Weir has yet to win a tournament on the PGA Tour, and has only three top-10 finishes this year. But there's something about Chicago that seems to agree with him. He finished three strokes behind Tiger Woods in the Western Open, putting the pressure on the final day with three birdies on the first seven holes. So he's staying in the same area as he did last month. He's even eating at the same restaurants. Whatever he's doing, it's working. He made a 10-foot putt to birdie the first hole Friday, and picked up two more strokes on the front nine. He had three more birdies on the back nine, but he also had the two bogeys. "I hit one bad shot on 17," he said. "Besides that, I was really happy with the way I played." Weir just might be one of the rarest players on the tour these days. He's a Canadian and left-handed when there aren't many of either roaming the golf courses. Fans serenaded him with "O Canada" on a few holes, just as they did in the Western Open, when he was paired with Woods for the final round. Winning a major could mean great things for golf in Canada, he said. "It would be huge," he said. "I don't think there's been a Canadian to win a major. It would be huge for junior golf in Canada. I hope I can do it for them." It would be pretty big for lefties, too. A left-handed golfer hasn't won a major since Bob Charles won the British Open in 1963. The last lefty to come close in the PGA was in 1996, when Mickelson led after two rounds and Russ Cochran led after three. Neither won. "It's been awhile," Weir said. "I guess it would be big."   Related information Stories Haas posts 67, grabs PGA lead at 9 under; Woods, Weir lurk Garcia falters with 73 to fall out of the lead at Medinah Kendall shoots course-record 65 at Medinah Multimedia Mike Weir says he’s proud of his play. (76 K) Mike Weir says there is still work to be done. (97 K) Click here for the latest audio and video Search our site Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call your cable operator or DirecTV. Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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