One of the sport's most recognisable coaches, Butch Harmon has a CV that would make anyone jealous.
The son of 1948 Masters champion, Claude Harmon Sr., he picked up the sport at an early age before enjoying a short stint as a professional in the early 1970s.
Soon turning to coaching, Harmon slowly worked his way up the ladder until he began to coach Tour professionals in the early 1990s. Since then, the charismatic American has worked with a plethora of the game's biggest stars.
Here are some of the biggest names.
Tiger Woods
Perhaps most famously, Harmon coached Woods for 11 years between 1993 and 2004.
Woods had his best results under Butch Harmon, winning three US Amateur titles in a row and then eight Majors as a pro, which included the Tiger Slam in 2000 and 2001 where he owned all four Major trophies simultaneously.
In total, he also won 34 PGA Tour titles under Harmon's tutelage.
Phil Mickelson
Soon after coaching Woods, Harmon then worked with fellow countryman Phil Mickelson. The pair worked together between 2007 and 2015 and enjoyed great success, winning twelve times, including two Majors - the 2010 Masters and the 2013 Open Championship.
After a two-year dry winless run, the pair parted ways in 2015 but Mickelson remained full of reverence for Harmon. "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 later said.
Greg Norman
Working with Woods and Mickelson is what Harmon is most remembered for but the American's first real breakthrough was in the early 1990s with Greg Norman. At the time, Harmon was working as a Houston Club professional when approached by the Australian in 1991.
Norman was hoping to break his five-year Major drought and did so just two years into working with Harmon when he won the 1993 Open Championship to return to number one in the world.
Ernie Els
Ernie Els hired Harmon in 2008 in the run-up to that year's Masters after splitting with his long-time coach David Leadbetter. The South African had just ended his three-and-a-half-year winless run the previous month.
The two enjoyed a brief spell working together and ended their full-time relationship the following summer. However, Els credited Harmon with his return to form which ultimately culminated in him winning his fourth Major at the 2012 Open Championship.
Dustin Johnson
After finishing his full-time work with Els, Harmon soon began working with Dustin Johnson in 2009.
Then an exciting youngster, Johnson has gone on to win two Majors and become World No.1 under the tutelage of both Harmon and his son Claude Harmon III who now serves as his main coach when his father stepped back in 2016.
Rickie Fowler
Perhaps one of Harmon's most memorable partnerships has come more recently with Rickie Fowler. The pair began working together in 2013, with Fowler going on to record top-five finishes in each of the four Majors the following year.
In 2019, their partnership ceased as Harmon took a step back from full-time coaching but the pair re-connected in 2022 as Fowler looked to find a solution to his disappointing performances.
And the rekindled partnership would bear fruits the very next year as Fowler claimed a dramatic playoff win at the Rocket Mortgage Classic to end a four-and-a-half-year winless run.
Who Else?
Above are just some of the most notable players that Harmon has worked with but the American has an extensive CV with plenty of other high-profile names...
- Davis Love III
- Fred Couples
- Justin Leonard
- Nick Watney
- Gary Woodland
- Jimmy Walker
- Darren Clarke
- Adam Scott
- Tommy Fleetwood
- Justin Rose
- Danielle Kang
