Mike Weir says he is taking "an indefinite leave of absence" from pro golf and won't be playing in his 25th RBC Canadian Open next week.

In a statement posted on Twitter, the former Masters champion said that he wants to focus on his personal life and his children.

He says there is no timeline for his return but that he plans to come back "when the time is right."

Weir and his wife Bricia recently divorced. They have two teenaged daughters.

"Mike has recently endured some difficult times in his personal life," agent Danny Fritz wrote in an email to The Canadian Press. "With everything that has been going on away from the golf course, Mike's golf game has been impacted as a result."

The 45-year-old Weir says withdrawing from the Canadian Open was especially difficult because he loves playing in front of home fans.

"That's unfortunate," Golf Canada chief championship officer Bill Paul said on a phone interview. "I understand. We'll wish him well and be watching him, and he'll be back for his 25th sometime."

Weir withdrew from his last PGA Tour event, the John Deere Classic, earlier this month after shooting a first-round 73.

The 2003 Masters winner from Bright's Grove, Ont., was a runner-up at the Canadian Open at Glen Abbey in 2004.