Mike Weir, of Canada, waves to one of his amateur partners on the fifth hole of the Arnold Palmer Private Course at PGA West during the first round of the Bob Hope Classic PGA golf tournament in La Quinta, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011.Chris Carlson
Mike Weir has taken the high road when it comes to his rejection of a sponsors exemption into next week's Northern Trust Open.
, Weir - a Masters champion and former two-time winner of this event when it was known as the Nissan Open - was overlooked for one of 10 exemptions handed out by tournament organizers. Those spots went to the likes of Fred Couples, top-ranked UCLA amateur Patrick Cantlay, South Korean K.T. Kim, Tour rookies Billy Hurley III and Erik Compton and Californian Jason Gore, who got in following an aggressive Twitter campaign.
Weir was also overlooked by the commissioner's foreign exemptions, which went to Japanese players Ryo Ishikawa and Yuta Ikeda.
, Weir said he understood that organizers had to make the best choice for their tournament and he wished them all the best.
"I was hoping to get an exemption into the field ...but it's tough because there will never be enough spots for all the players who want them."
"Future sponsor exemptions are just going to be coming when I get them. I don't have anything secured at the moment with the exception of one for the RBC Heritage, the week after the Masters. I've been talking with sponsors and tournament directors and hopefully I'll be getting some starts."
Weir indicated late last year that he would use the remaining year of his European Tour exemption for winning the Masters to fill out the remainder of his playing schedule.
As for this week, Weir says he feels good getting back and playing golf again after months of rehabilitating his surgically repaired elbow.
"Although it's only been a month that I've been back playing, I'm pleased with where my game is," wrote Weir. "I feel as if I've been able to simplify everything in my swing and get less technical and more feel-oriented. When I've done that in the past, I've played my best golf."
Weir added he has a new caddie, Mike Bestor, who has previous experience looping for Dean Wilson and Y.E. Yang, and he's working with a new coach in David Woods, originally from Winnipeg and now working in the Palm Springs area.