Furious Row Breaks Out Over Mike Weir!

Here's something you don't read every day: a tournament director criticizing another tournament director.

This brotherhood is golf's version of the BCS bowl director, working tirelessly for a month out of the year, patting their brothers on the back and in general, avoiding controversy.

Unless...one of them didn't give a sponsor's exemption to Mike Weir.

Lorne Rubenstein with the row over two-time former champion Weir not getting a spot in next week's Northern Trust Open while, among others, Jordan Spieth and Billy Hurley did.

“It’s hard to believe that a two-time champion, and within the last nine years, would not be given an exemption,” Bill Paul, the RBC Canadian Open’s tournament director, said Wednesday. “I am not saying that as a Canadian. I know there are tough choices, but he is a former champion. I don’t know of too many tournaments that would reject a former champ. Oh well, maybe they have other reasons.”

Weir did not want to comment on his not receiving an exemption, probably because he doesn’t want to jeopardize his chance of getting sponsors’ invitations into other tournaments if he needs them. Mike Bone, the Northern Trust Open’s general manager, responded to an inquiry from The Globe and Mail about why Weir wasn’t issued an exemption. He chose to provide a statement through the PGA Tour rather than agree to a request for an interview.