Speirsey—on tour
Winnipeg golfer Adam Speirs takes on Canadian Tour with a sponsorship deal
Ready to go: Adam Speirs, in the mode of fit and stylish Greg Norman, takes on the Canadian Tour—photo courtesy of MTS Allstream
Adam Speirs, the widely touring professional golfer from Winnipeg, found a supportive partner when he signed a deal with MTS Allstream, a Manitoba-based communications company.
“A lot of my time is spent on the road,” said Speirs. “Although Winnipeg will always be home, I travel quite a lot.”
Last year, the 30-year-old golfer won 13th place overall on the Canadian Tour, during which he came first at the Greater Vancouver Charity Classic, a win that was long coming and well earned.
“That was a dream come true,” said Speirs. “Other than the Masters and the U.S. Open and the major championships, (I was) always playing to win a Canadian Tour event. For me to finally get that win after a few years of ups and downs—that was definitely a career highlight for me.”
In 2007 and 2002 he competed in the U.S. Open; 2002 was his first year as a pro. “To qualify in my first year was really a surprise and very overwhelming,” he said. Overcoming a low spell that was especially low in 2004 to make it back to the 2007 Open was “a relief,” Speirs said. “Getting back took a lot of focus, determination and hard work. Success, for me, comes from working hard.” Part of his comeback came from having solid practice routines that include making written plans every week.
Speirsey, as he is known by his pro golfing collegues, said that an immediate benefit of his sponsorship with MTS Allstream is that they provided him with a Blackberry and cover his wireless connection, which he uses often to keep in touch with his girlfriend as he travels.
Speirs said that an interesting aspect of touring so widely is having the ability to observe the different turf conditions that affect how a course plays.
“Down in the southern states, the grass is very different—it is Bermuda grass, whereas in Canada we have blue grass or bent grass. It plays a lot differently. Courses play a lot differently depending on temperature as well. In Vancouver they set up the golf course really tough for us. It is quite a tournament-conditioned golf course, the fairways are narrow, the rough is long and the greens are firm, but on a course like we play in Saskatoon, it’s a links-style course, so it’s wide open—hopefully the wind is blowing so it plays like a links course should play. You definitely face different challenges each week that you play different golf courses.”
Pierre Blouin, CEO of MTS Allstream, is proud to sponsor Speirs.
“On behalf of our 6,000 employees across the country, I want to welcome Adam to the MTS Allstream family,” said Blouin. “We are thrilled to offer our support to one of Canada’s great golfers, and we look forward to cheering him on as he takes on new challenges in the year ahead.”
“Like Cindy Klassen, Adam Speirs is from Winnipeg, is one of Canada’s top athletes and an ideal ambassador for MTS Allstream,” said Blouin. “As a Manitoba-based company, we believe in supporting our top young athletes on their road to incredible achievements,” he added. “We hope that our support will help Adam continue competing at the highest level—across Canada and around the world.”
Speirs said that the sponsorship has had twofold benefits, both financially and in terms of acknowledgement and recognition. “(Their support) gives me a tremendous burst of confidence,” said Speirs.
Speirs is currently competing at El Cid Golf & Country Club in Mazatlan, Mexico, from April 23 to 26, which tees off his Canadian Tour schedule.
“We’ve got four tournaments in a row to start the year off in Mexico. It’s nice to get the year started off earlier (in Mexico).”
Once back in the country, he will play the Times Colonist Open that starts June 1 at Uplands Golf Club in Victoria.