Masters rookie DeLaet carries Canadian hopes at Augusta

It's a bit much to even suggest that Graham DeLaet can become the second Canadian to leave Augusta wearing a green jacket on Sunday. After all, the country's best golfer hasn't won anything on the PGA Tour yet -- not even a John Deere Classic, Waste Management Open or a Valspar Championship.

Recording your first victory at the Masters, golf's most prestigious event, might be asking a little more than is possible, especially for a guy playing in the tournament for the first time. Still, there are some pretty knowledgeable golf people who believe the 32-year-old Weyburn, Sask., native has a shot.

One of those certainly should know. Mike Weir, the only Canuck to win the Masters, believes the course sets up nicely for DeLaet.

"I think Graham obviously has the type of game that can do very well there," Weir said after an all-Canadian practice pairing on Tuesday. "He hits it long, he hits it very high."

Not only does DeLaet have the kind of game that should serve him well at the Masters, he's been on a bit of a roll the past six months. And having Weir show him the ins and outs of Augusta National certainly has him in the right frame of mind -- as he tweeted Tuesday evening.

DeLaet spent Tuesday getting a good feel for the course and picking up plenty of pointers from a guy who knows it well and certainly had a pretty good idea of how to play it when he recorded his historic victory in 2003.

“It was awesome,” DeLaet told reporters afterwards. ``It was nice to have Mike kind of showing me around. He was giving me guidance on a few things that other players had given him, guys like Jack [Nicklaus] and Freddy [Couples] along the way. That’s one of the cool things out here, that guys kind of pass things along. You go to a regular tournament and guys kind of keep things secretive. But for whatever reasons, out here you just kind of pass the torch along.”

Passing the torch is basically what Weir is doing these days. While he firmly believes he has a shot at his second green jacket, the fact is that time and injuries have taken a big toll on the 43-year-old.

He hasn't contended anywhere in quite some time after coming back from a wrist injury three years ago. Still, he hasn't given up and started making plans for the seniors tour.

“I really think I can contend there,” he said in a conference call this week. “I still believe in myself more than anything.”

Unfortunately, the facts say otherwise.

He has made the cut only once this year and pulled out of one tournament with a neck injury. He finished 174th in the FedEx Cup standings last year and stands 201st this season. He stands 692nd in the world rankings, a painful reality for a guy who once was third in the world.

The Canadian torch is obviously in DeLaet's hands now and there appears to be little chance of him dropping it.

He was one of the hottest golfers in the game at the end of last season, rising from 178th in the world to 32. DeLaet earned over $2.8 million U.S. after recording seven top-10 finishes and making the cut in 21 of 26 events entered.

It was a good enough year to earn him his first taste of the Presidents Cup competition and led to him being invited to his first Masters.

This season, he's recorded five top-10 finishes — including tying for second twice -- made the cut in eight of nine tournaments entered and stands 30th in world rankings and 17th in the FedEx standings while winning over $1.6 million.

He begins his excellent adventure at Augusta at 12:31 p.m. on Thursday, teamed with Trevor Immelman or South Africa and Oliver Goss of Australia. Weir tees off at 9:02 a.m. with Americans Roberto Castro and Matt Every.

While claiming his first victory here might seem a ridiculous long-shot, DeLaet has some numbers in his favour. He's one of 23 first-timers at Augusta, an unusually high number, so the statistical chances of a neophyte claiming the top prize are higher than ever.

And if a rookie does don the green jacket on Sunday, why couldn't it be DeLaet?