Weir to take up membership on European Tour

• By Ryan Ballengee
• Dec 8, 2011 2:12 PM ET

Mike Weir lost full-exempt status on the PGA Tour in 2011 because of a combination of injury and poor play.

Without a definitive schedule in the States next season, the 2003 Masters champion has elected to take up membership on the European Tour.

"I recently discovered that I'm fully exempt on the European Tour. It seems they give major champions a 12-year exemption and so I've taken out membership there," Weir said on his blog. "While I still would like to play most of my golf in North America, I'm also kind of excited about the chance to play in Europe. I think it would be fun to tee it up in the different countries they have on their tour and I'll likely use that to fill in when I'm unable to play over here."

As Weir continues to rehab from elbow surgery this summer, however, he eyes a return to competition in the U.S.

"Right now, I have my sights set on Pebble Beach for a couple of reasons. First, it's a tournament where I've played well in the past and feel comfortable. And second, at that time of year, the turf is generally soft out there, which will help," he said. "I'm not sure if I'll make that deadline, but I'm going to shoot for that right now."