Tiger Woods announced about two weeks ago that he would not be returning to the PGA Tour until his play and scores were acceptable for tournament golf. Amidst his recent struggles, might he consider reuniting with former swing instructor Butch Harmon?
Harmon was Woods' first professional instructor, beginning back when he turned pro in 1996. Woods was the most successful under Harmon's tutelage, winning 31 tournaments (including eight majors) before the two parted ways in 2002. He won the Masters three times ('97, '01 and '02), the PGA Championship twice ('99 and '00), the U.S. Open once ('00) and the British Open once ('00). He also won the Players Championship in 2001, which is widely considered the unofficial "fifth major."
Despite this success, Woods moved on to Hank Haney and Sean Foley and has yet to find such consistency again. He has won 45 tournaments (only six majors) since he moved on from Harmon, which is going on its 13th year. Woods has won more majors in five years with Harmon than in the proceeding 12 with Haney and Foley. So why won't Woods pick up the phone and call his former instructor?
"Tiger probably wouldn't ask," Harmon told Tim Rosaforte of Golf World. "At my age, 71, I'm kind of on the end of my run anyway. If he wanted, I'd be more than happy to spend a couple hours and give him my opinion. I don't think he would ask because it goes against his pride."
Woods' recent injury history and widely believed mental struggles have kept him winless in major championships since the 2008 U.S. Open and held him to only eight PGA Tour victories in the past five seasons. His new "swing consultant," Chris Como, specializes in biomechanics with a focus on "sport injury mechanism," which is how sports movements impact the body.
However, Woods missed the cut and withdrew from his first two tournaments of 2015, prompting this "break" from the Tour.
"The Tiger I saw trying to make a golf swing, his body wouldn't let him do the things he was trying to do," Harmon added. "If I was him, I wouldn't play until I'm healthy. I know you say you need the tournament reps and all that. Not necessarily. For him the big thing is the Masters. We know he knows how to play."
Woods said he will not return to play in the Honda Classic this week, and many believe he may actually wait until the Masters in April.
