Shortly after Mike Weir tapped in his putt that won the Masters, he was asked how many times he had been teased about standing on the wrong side of the ball.
Weir became the first left-handed Masters champion when he defeated Len Mattiace in a one-hole playoff Sunday at Augusta National. The only other left-handed champion of a major is Bob Charles, who won the British Open in 1963.
Weir stared back intently and grinned knowingly.
"You're a lefty, aren't you?" Weir said, as if such an unusual question could only be posed by a left-hander.
Left-handed golfers are teased, shot funny looks and often changed into right-handers. They share stories about how difficult it is to find equipment and get proper instruction.
They play courses some claim are designed for right-handers and they have a tough time winning tournaments -- especially majors.
Phil Mickelson, the most successful lefty in PGA Tour history, has 21 wins. Weir and Charles have six each. Only three other lefties have ever won; none more than once.
In the history of the PGA Tour, left-handers have 36 career victories. Tiger Woods, in only his eighth year on the tour, has 36.
Blame the percentages. Among some 30 million golfers nationwide, only about one million -- 3.3% -- are left-handed. Of the 257 players currently exempt on the PGA Tour, only five -- 1.9% -- are left-handed.
So when Weir won Sunday, it's no wonder fellow southpaws swelled with pride.
"It's big stuff isn't it?" said Joe Clem, Director of the National Assn. of Left-Handed Golfers. "Not only winning, but two of the top three were left-handed."
Actually, the top three are left-handed. Mattiace plays right-handed, but said he does just about everything else left-handed. Mickelson finished third.
Mickelson, who does everything but golf right-handed, learned to play left-handed by standing opposite his right-handed father and mimicking his swing. But neither Weir nor Mickelson thinks in terms of left and right.
"I am a left-handed golfer, but when I'm out there I don't think of myself like that," Weir said. "I'm a golfer."
There is little doubt that left-handed golfers have more to overcome than right-handers. For example, try finding a left-handed golf instructor. In Southern California, from Santa Barbara to San Diego, there are only about five.
Try finding a lefty golf instruction book. Ever seen tips for left-handers in a golf magazine?
