Canadian golf legend makes return to event that helped ignite his professional career

 Toronto, ON – When the 2008 TELUS World Skins Game returns to British Columbia this summer, Mike Weir, one of the most successful professional golfers ever to hail from Canada will also be making a special return. It was announced Monday Weir will participate in this year’s TELUS World Skins Game, six years after his last appearance. 

 The TELUS World Skins Game, in support of BC Children’s Hospital, returns to Predator Ridge, the site of the 2000 Skins Game, on Monday, June 16 and Tuesday, June 17 and will feature five of the top names in golf, each representing a different country. Weir will round out the field representing Canada, with Fred Couples representing the United States, Greg Norman representing Australia, Colin Montgomerie representing his native Scotland, and rising young star Camilo Villegas representing Colombia. 

 “With the return of the TELUS World Skins Game to the beautiful Predator Ridge and the Okanagan Valley, and the involvement of BC Children’s Hospital as the designated charity, the return of Mike Weir to an already stellar field is an exciting bonus,” said Steve Podborski, executive director of TELUS Sport Marketing.  “All of the participating players have told us just how excited they are about this year’s TELUS World Skins Game in support of BC Children’s Hospital. We’re looking forward to bringing the best in the world of golf to Predator Ridge in June to play for the kids at the 2008 TELUS World Skins Game, an event that is sure to capture the hearts of fans everywhere.”

 Weir, who has 8 PGA Tour victories in his career, including the 2003 Masters, tying him with George Knudson for most ever by a Canadian, has appeared five times in the Canadian golf event over the years, winning 20 skins for $400,000.  Many credit his success in his first Skins Game appearance in 1998 in Prince Edward Island against Couples, Mark O’Meara and John Daly as helping kick-start his PGA Tour career, proving to the young left-hander that he could indeed compete with the best in golf. 

 “I’m very excited about the opportunity to not only play in the 2008 TELUS World Skins Game, but to represent Canada, and play again in front of the Canadian fans out West who have always been so supportive,” said Weir. “It’s for a great cause, supporting BC Children’s Hospital, and it’s a tremendous field, with players that I have respected for many years in Fred, Greg and Colin, as well as one of the truly exciting young players in the game in Camilo.  I’m very much looking forward to the 2008 TELUS World Skins Game and would like to thank TELUS for the invitation to play.”

The TELUS World Skins Game is a highlight of the Canadian summer sporting schedule, not only for Canadian golf fans, but for the local community as well. TELUS partners each year for the event with a charitable organization that aligns with TELUS’ commitment to “give where we live”. The 2008 TELUS World Skins charity partner will be BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, which supports the provision of expert care for the province’s most seriously ill or injured children.

Predator Ridge is consistently ranked as one of the finest golf courses in the country and is one of only two public golf courses in Western Canada to be named in Score Magazine’s Canadian Top 25 for the past eight years. Opened in 1991, Predator Ridge features an incredible 27-hole layout along with a world-class surrounding community. The resort also boasts swimming pools, AVEDA™ spa, fitness centre, restaurants and a new golf course in the making.