‘Deserves to Be in the World Golf Hall of Fame’: Phil Mickelson Once Had an Amicable Separation With Coach Butch Harmon, Unlike Tiger Woods’ Silent Treatment

Butch Harmon is one of the greatest-ever coaches in the sport’s history. He has been the beacon of light for golfers, with several of his pupils securing major championships under his tutelage. That list includes two of the most triumphant golfers in the last two decades, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. However, both golfers parted ways with Harmon, albeit in vastly different circumstances.

Phil Mickelson’s amicable separation from Butch Harmon

The 6-time major championship winner called it quits after forming a winning partnership with Harmon in 2015. The duo released a statement to inform the world about their partition.

“I’ve learned a great deal from him in our eight years together,” Mickelson said in a statement. “It’s just that at the moment I need to hear new ideas from a different perspective.”

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The duo clinched several victories during their run, which started with the 2007 Players Championship win. Mickelson claimed two major championships with Harmon, namely the 2010 Masters and 2013 British Open.

At that time of separation, the 52-year-old was on a barren run. He was winless for more than two years and had plummeted to 25th in world rankings. However, he only had admiration for his former coach. “Butch is one of the great teachers in the history of the game and I believe he deserves to be in the World Golf Hall of Fame,” he said later.

Harmon receives the silent treatment from Tiger Woods

Similarly, Woods and Harmon struck up a formidable team back in the 90s and early 2000s. The 15-time major championship winner rose to become the face of the sport during this period, winning trophies at will. But with the rising success came the eyes of scrutiny, which eventually broke the successful pair apart.

As others found out soon enough, Harmon had received the silent treatment of eviction from Woods. While neither party spoke clearly on the subject, it was presumed that the 79-year-old’s fame had played a role in his expulsion.

At the time of coaching Woods, Harmon was already one of the most well-known instructors. Allegedly, regular interactions with the media and fans irked Woods, who has kept an unwritten code of silence amongst his team.

Thus, after more than 10 major championship titles together, Harmon and Woods went their separate ways. Do you think Woods and Mickelson should have been associated with Harmon for longer? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

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