Tiger Woods parted ways with his most recent swing coach on Monday when he announced that he and Sean Foley will no longer be working together. Foley was Tiger’s third swing coach since 2002, when Woods last worked with the legendary Butch Harmon. While Woods enjoyed a great deal of success with Harmon from 1993 to 2002, the two will not be reuniting.
Harmon, who works with Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler, said Monday that he would not work with Tiger again and doesn’t think the 14-time major champion should even hire a new coach.
“No I would not and he’s not going to call and ask,” Harmon told Rex Hoggard of the Golf Channel. “I don’t think he needs a swing coach. If I were advising Tiger I’d tell him, ‘You’re the greatest player that ever lived, just go to the range and hit shots.’”
That is basically the same piece of advice PGA golfer Parker McLachlin, a former Foley student, had for Woods when Tiger struggled at the start of the PGA Championship earlier this month. Tiger won the PGA Player of the Year Award with five wins last season while working with Foley, but obviously something went wrong. Harmon doesn’t blame Foley for that.
“Sean’s had great success. He has nothing to hang his head about,” Harmon said. “I called him and told him that. I told him he worked his tail for this guy. Nothing lasts forever.”
Tiger has not won a major championship since 2008. It once appeared that he was destined to shatter Jack Nicklaus’ record for most major victories, but even winning four more to tie it seems unlikely for Woods at this point. He has worked with every high-profile swing coach in the business. Maybe it’s time for Tiger to stop thinking so much and rely on his natural talent.
