By Matthew Rudy
Rory McIlroy wasn’t able to join the elite group of players who have won golf’s career Grand Slam, but another rare slam was completed on Sunday at the Masters. Claude Harmon III joined his father, Butch, David Leadbetter, Hank Haney, Pete Cowen and Jack Grout as the only coaches to have worked with players as they won each of the four major championships.

Dustin Johnson’s victory joined Brooks Koepka’s two U.S. Opens and PGAs and Ernie Els’ 2012 Open Championship on Harmon’s supervisory shelf—and the circumstances surrounding it might have made it the most meaningful. Harmon endured two separate 14-day quarantines—after student Brooks Koepka’s caddie, Ricky Elliott, tested positive for COVID-19 in June, then again after Johnson tested positive last month. That compressed preparation for Augusta into two weeks—two weeks to get back to the form that had seen Johnson win the Northern Trust and Tour Championship (and the FedEx Cup with it) and to recapture the World No. 1 ranking.

RELATED: Dustin Johnson’s play in 2020 redefines his golf legacy

“From a pandemic to Brooks’ injury early in the season to being on lockdown from Players to Colonial to travelling non-stop every week, it’s just been a crazy year,” said Harmon. “We all have had to adapt, and you have to make the most of the situation you’re dealt.”

Johnson shook off rust the previous week in Houston, tying for second, and came into the Masters a bit under the radar, as so much of the focus was on U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau. “You never say COVID is a good thing, but DJ came into Houston fresh mentally and physically from the time off,” Harmon said. “He was rusty on Thursday, but had good practice Friday and Saturday, and good practice early in the week in Augusta. He plays on confidence. Form is a huge thing for him. He felt—and all of us around him, A.J. [his caddie and brother], Joey D [Diovisalvi, his trainer] felt—that it wouldn’t be a surprise if he had an opportunity on Sunday.”

Masters week was peak Dustin Johnson. He set a tournament scoring record (20 under), another record for fewest bogeys (four), and tied a third for most greens hit (60). Cameron Smith got as close as two shots early on Sunday, but the outcome was never really in doubt. “Adam Scott told me something at Boston that sums up DJ pretty well—nobody makes the game look as easy as he does,” Harmon said. “What I saw last week was the result of five years of hard work. He’s a complete player now. He drives the s— out of it. His iron game is underrated. He’s done so much with his wedge game and short game. And he and A.J. are one of the best—if not the best—on tour in how they work together, make decisions and read greens.

RELATED: 15 Things You Need To Know About Dustin Johnson

Harmon thinks that the Masters win could set off a Mickelsonian run of mid-30s major championships for Johnson and said he’s looking forward to helping extend that run however he can.

“To be a part of the team behind DJ last week, and to know his name is going to be on the same trophy as my grandfather—that’s so gratifying,” said Harmon, who was taking Monday off before picking up his regular schedule of member lessons at The Floridian in Palm City, Fla.

“To see A.J. crying on the 18th green and DJ hugging him, I know the hard work that went into that. Lead[better], my dad, Hank—they’re icons of coaching. To be able to do something they did? And to be out here on tour with coaches like Cameron McCormick, Mark Blackburn, Mike Bender and Sean Foley, and younger guys like Drew Steckel? I’m proud to have success in this little sliver of the golf world, and I’m proud to be a part of the modern game.”

RELATED: Dustin Johnson’s emotional (seriously) interview wound up being the best part of Masters Sunday

The post Dustin Johnson made history at the Masters. So did his coach appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
The PGA Tour’s motion to dismiss Hank Haney’s lawsuit has been denied by the Southern District of Florida.

Haney, who was suspended by the Tour and SiriusXM earlier in 2019 for comments deemed racist and sexist on his eponymous radio program, brought a suit against the Tour in December, alleging the Tour harboured a “vendetta” against him. According to the documents, Haney, 64, is seeking damages “for the harm the PGA Tour caused when it improperly intimidated, enticed and threatened Sirius XMRadio, Inc. (SiriusXM) to suspend and ultimately terminate Haney’s radio broadcast on SiriusXM’s PGA Tour Radio station.” Haney claims the Tour has “long attempted to disrupt and interfere in Haney’s business,” most notably regarding the release of his book, The Big Miss, a tell-all from Haney’s time as Tiger Woods’ swing coach.

Haney also alleges the Tour forced the Golf Channel to discontinue his “Hank Haney Project” TV show on the network and SiriusXM to terminate Haney’s business relationship. According to Haney, these actions have cost advertising revenues that “would have amounted to millions” over the life of Haney’s agreements.

The Tour argued in its motion to dismiss that Haney is not taking responsibility for his words and that his accusations are unfounded. However, the Southern District asserted on Monday that the case ultimately deserves its day in court.

“The Court, having reviewed the parties’ submissions, the record, and being otherwise fully advised in the premises, finds that the allegations teed up in this case—like a well-hit drive on the golf course—have avoided pleading hazards under Rule 12(b)(6), remained in bounds, and left Plaintiffs with an opportunity to take their next shot,” reads the court’s ruling.

In May 2019, Haney and his co-host Steve Johnson were involved in controversy when they made comments during Haney’s show regarding the U.S. Women’s Open. Haney mockingly predicted “a Korean” would win the championship, held that week at the Country Club of Charleston, adding he couldn’t name six players on the LPGA Tour save for those with the last name “Lee.”

“I’m pleased with the court’s decision,” Haney said in a statement to Golf Digest’s Brian Wacker. “It allows us to move forward and prove our case. Discovery will show the evidence in our favour is overwhelming and indisputable and evidences a disturbing influence the PGA Tour exercises in the golf world, including on media outlets. I’m looking forward to our day in court.”

The PGA Tour said it has no comment on the matter.

Haney is best known for coaching Woods from 2004 to 2010. He is also a longtime Golf Digest teaching professional. The Tour has until April 13 to respond to Haney’s complaint.

The post Court denies PGA Tour’s motion to dismiss Hank Haney lawsuit appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
It was inevitable. That doesn’t make it any less astonishing.

Last week golf instructor Hank Haney, along with co-host Steve Johnson, made remarks deemed racist and sexist regarding the U.S. Women’s Open on Haney’s eponymous radio show. Haney mockingly predicted “a Korean” would win this week’s event at Country Club of Charleston, adding he couldn’t name six players on the LPGA Tour save for those with the last name “Lee.”

The outcry was swift, with the LPGA, its stars, golf personalities and fans criticizing Haney for his insensitivity. Haney tried to clarify those comments later in the program, saying he couldn’t remember what he said. “I guess people are taking this as racially insensitive,” Haney said.” He then apologised “if I offended anyone.” The show ended with Johnson telling Haney he was not a racist, to which Haney replied, “I am definitely not a racist.” Haney later issued a longer apology to Golf Digest and on Twitter.

That acknowledgement was not enough in the eyes of the PGA Tour and SiriusXM. The entities suspended Haney from his program Thursday, issuing a statement that they were reviewing Haney’s status going forward.

For his part, Haney has been quiet since the suspension…that is, until Jeongeun Lee6 won the Women’s Open on Sunday. That gave Haney all the ammo he needed to fire back at his critics.

My prediction that a Korean woman would be atop the leaderboard at the Women’s US Open was based on statistics and facts. Korean women are absolutely dominating the LPGA Tour. If you asked me again my answer would be the same but worded more carefully.

— Hank Haney (@HankHaney) June 2, 2019

Whatever Haney’s intentions were—vindication, exoneration, self-effacement—the messages received, at best, a mixed reception. Especially given Haney misspelt Lee6’s first name.

Though some offered replies of support and agreement, most deemed Haney’s tweets ignorant and obtuse, with a fair share of responses accusing Haney of unjustifiably taking a victory lap.

pic.twitter.com/OaWxHW31ci

— Martin Kelly (@MGKelly7) June 2, 2019

Doubling down eh? Bold strategy there Cotton! Let’s see how this works….

— TippedCanoe (@TippedCanoe) June 2, 2019

When you definitely meant the apology and absolutely spent the last 72 hours pondering the ways in which your words were both racist and lazily ignorant https://t.co/VZRwBYm95f

— Job W. Fickett (@jwfickett) June 2, 2019

pic.twitter.com/SciEP60fNM

— 3Wiggle (@WiggleThree) June 2, 2019

You got it right Hank! We’ve got your back, will listen wherever you’re broadcasting.

— Miguel Costelanez (@mjcostel27) June 2, 2019

Wherever one sits on this spectrum, it’s abundantly clear this controversy will not end with Lee6’s triumph in Charleston.

The post Hank Haney weighed in on a Korean named Lee winning the U.S. Women’s Open. It didn’t go perfectly appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
Golf instructor Hank Haney was forced to address accusations of making racist, sexist comments on his radio show Wednesday afternoon ahead of the U.S. Women’s Open.

Haney, speaking with co-host Steve Johnson on Haney’s eponymous program on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio, mockingly predicted “a Korean” would win this week’s event at Country Club of Charleston, adding he couldn’t name six players on the LPGA Tour save for those with the last name “Lee.”

Below is the transcript of the conversation:

Steve Johnson: “Hank, the 74th U.S. Women’s Open…yeah.”

Hank Haney: “I’m going to predict a Korean.”

Johnson: “Okay.” (laughter)

Haney: “Okay.”

Johnson: “Pretty safe bet.” (Laughter)

Haney: “That’s going to be my prediction…I couldn’t name you, like, six players on the LPGA Tour.”

Johnson: “Yeah.”

Haney: “Maybe I could. Well…I’d go with Lee if I didn’t have to name a first name, I’d get a bunch of them right…Yeah, I don’t know.”

Johnson: “You’ve got six Lee’s.”

Haney: “Honestly, Michelle Wie’s hurt…I don’t know anybody…where are they playing, anyway?”

The outcry was swift on social media, which included a statement from Wie, who is missing this week’s Open due to injury.

“As a Korean American female golfer, these comments that @HankHaney made disappoint and anger me on so many different levels,” Wie said. “Racism and sexism are no laughing matter Hank….shame on you. I don’t ever do this, but this must be called out.”

As a Korean American female golfer, these comments that @HankHaney made disappoint and anger me on so many different levels. Racism and sexism are no laughing matter Hank….shame on you. I don’t ever do this, but this must be called out. https://t.co/P18JByTosN

— Michelle Wie (@themichellewie) May 29, 2019

Too many of these girls, Korean or not, have worked countless hours and sacrificed so much to play in the US Open this week. There are so many amazing players in the field. Let’s celebrate them….Not mock them. @HankHaney https://t.co/YB25Bl9zoC

— Michelle Wie (@themichellewie) May 29, 2019

Well said @themichellewie Wiesy! Shame on you @HankHaney and Steve Johnson. @PGATOUR if you’re truly serious about supporting the @lpga and growing the game these two morons won’t have a voice anymore! https://t.co/2hvZoBE4Tn

— Karrie Webb (@Karrie_Webb) May 29, 2019

Unacceptable! https://t.co/5LvSPe5muh

— Annika Sorenstam (@ANNIKA59) May 29, 2019

Shame on you @HankHaney …. https://t.co/4IyrFiLcQ2

— Michelle Wie (@themichellewie) May 29, 2019

???

— Brittany Lincicome (@Brittany1golf) May 29, 2019

Haney tried to clarify those comments later in the program, saying he couldn’t remember what he said.

“I guess people are taking this as racially insensitive,” Haney remarked.” He then apologized “if I offended anyone.” The show ended with Johnson telling Haney he was not a racist, to which Haney replied, “I am definitely not a racist.”

Golf Digest reached out to Haney for further comment and he replied with the following response via text:

”This morning I made some comments about women’s professional golf and its players that were insensitive and that I regret. In an effort to make a point about the overwhelming success of Korean players on the tour I offended people, and I am sorry. I have the biggest respect for the women who have worked so hard to reach the pinnacle of their sport, and I never meant to take away from their abilities and accomplishments. I’ve worked in this game with men and women players from many different cultures, and I look forward to continuing to doing so.”

Haney is best known for coaching Tiger Woods from 2004 to 2010, and for the Golf Channel TV show “The Haney Project.” He is also a longtime Golf Digest contributing teacher.

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More recently, Brooks Koepka’s dominant play at last week’s PGA Championship at Bethpage Black left at least one of his fellow competitors, Xander Schauffele, admitting to feeling simply melancholy.

It’s easy to understand why.

Kopeka’s make-up and his performances in majors, of which he has now won four of the last eight, would undoubtedly earn him a spot in the “99 club”—a rare group of Madden NFL players with high enough attributes to earn a perfect rating—if video-game-maker EA still produced a golf title.

“One-hundred percent the prototype,” says Tiger Woods’ former coach Hank Haney of Koepka.

Other golfers over the last handful of years have had similar runs and eye-popping performances—Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson all come to mind. But Koepka appears to be best built to withstand the test that is major championship golf, now and for years to come.

Why?

There are a few reasons, starting with, not surprisingly when it comes to the beefy 29-year-old: the physical.

“Muscle structure is massive to do what he does,” said longtime coach Pete Cowen, who first formed a bond with the newly (re)minted PGA champion during Koepka’s early days as a pro, when he played the Challenge Tour in Europe, and works with the star on his short game. “He has some of the best shoulders in the game.”

RELATED: Grinding out the win at Bethpage will help Koepka more than a runaway victory

Cowen likened Koepka’s broad shoulders (we’ll get to the large chip on them later) to the transmission on a finely tuned race car. They’re the link between the application of power between the engine and the wheels, or what most helps him generate the kind of speed and accuracy that allowed him to lead the field at Bethpage Black in strokes gained/off-the-tee and in approach.

Length has long been a consistent trait from one generation of greats to another—from Nicklaus to Greg Norman to Tiger Woods—and Koepka is no different. It’s a skill that will continue to prove useful as courses get longer and tougher. Koepka’s bomb-and-gouge approach, however, means that when he does hit one off line, it’s not quite the penalty it once was. A short iron from the long grass is even more deadly than a mid-iron from the fairway.

“If he hits it in the rough, it’s not hard to hit it on the green because he has an upright swing plane and speed and strength,” noted veteran instructor and Golf Digest Top 50 teacher Jim McLean. “So if he hits six fairways, it’s fine. That’s the difference in today’s game.”

Mike Ehrmann

Other elements—a solid short game with a stable chipping motion that’s built around body pivot as well as a putting stroke aided by a still lower body—only make Koepka more formidable.

“He’s not a guy who hits it great and putts it just OK,” said Phil Mickelson’s former coach Rick Smith. “He putts it great. I’d put him up there with Rickie Fowler as one of the better putters in the game.”

But physical talent and Trackman-optimized tools run deep on tour these days. To his peers, where Koepka separates himself he most is mentally.

“His quote unquote not caring is a weapon,” 2017 PGA champion Thomas said. “Don’t let that fool you though, he’s a competitive SOB.”

From making them feel melancholic about their own chances, to causing others, such as Tony Finau, to rethink their own approach to how dissect diabolical setups like Bethpage, to using real or perceived slights as motivation, Kopeka again is in a different class.

“You can’t teach somebody to think the way that Brooks Koepka thinks,” Graeme McDowell said. “I wish I could think that way—use negativity the way he’s able to use it. He just drives himself to another level. Tiger was very different from that. He didn’t seem to need negativity. He could go to a different place mentally than the rest of us could go, but Brooks gets himself there via the little chips, via the negative comments he gets from people, and he’s able to take himself to places that, like I say, we’ve only seen from guys like Tiger, really. It’s impressive.”

Added Marc Leishman: “He has so much determination to prove people wrong. He also drives it great and has everything else needed, but mentally I think he has the biggest edge.”

How long will that edge last? In some respects, it depends as much on Koepka’s rivals as it does on him.

• McIlroy rattled off his four majors in four years, including three in a nine-major span between from 2012-’14. But he has proved wildly streaky at times, endured his fair share of noise and distraction, and remains, at best, an average putter.

• Spieth posted his first top-10 of the year at Bethpage, but he doesn’t have the power game or ball-striking abilities of Koepka, and remains in a winless drought that has stretched nearly two full years.

• Day has similar physical skills to that of Koepka, but his body has been fragile at times. Being No. 1 in the world also proved mentally burdensome.

• Thomas, likewise, can hang with Koepka when it comes to length as well as other areas of his game. But his temperament is often the opposite of the flat-lined Kopeka.

• Johnson is the closest thing to Koepka. Yet he’s blown a handful of chances in majors and remains stuck inexplicably on one.

Koepka? He got from his first major to his fourth faster than even Nicklaus or Woods. Heady stuff. Yet he continues to roll along unencumbered and undeterred. More majors will follow, no doubt.

“He’s a guy that needs to be a great player,” Cowen said. “I know a million guys who wanna be great. It’s not want with him. It’s need.”

The post Here’s what’s separating Brooks Koepka from his peers (and why his major run isn’t over yet) appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Cheesy, scripted, promotional stunt in advance of their day-after-Thanksgiving match aside, it’s an exchange that would have been impossible to fathom for most of their professional careers.

“It wouldn’t have surprised me coming from Phil. That’s who he is, it’s his personality,” says Davis Love III. “But if you asked me 15 years ago if this would happen, I wouldn’t have thought we’d see it from Tiger. [Players] had a relationship with Phil. We didn’t know Tiger Woods, or who he was. I’m surprised the last four or five years just how much he has opened up.”

“I think it’s just growing up, a maturity,” adds Steve Stricker. “Golf is a humbling sport. I mean, who’d have thought all that’s happened to [Tiger] would have happened? It changes your perspective on things and how you treat people.”

The idea for the made-for-TV match between Woods and Mickelson was of course spawned by Lefty. He is golf’s P.T. Barnum. But even he needed a partner, and Woods’ willingness to buy in to such a show, in essence, was years in the making.

RELATED: How ‘The Match’ began—and where it might lead

Four years ago, with Woods at home recovering from a second micro-discectomy surgery to remove a disc fragment that was pinching a nerve (and soon to undergo another procedure to relieve discomfort in his back), the U.S. Ryder Cup team got drubbed at Gleneagles for its sixth loss in the last seven biennial matches. At the press conference that Sunday night in Scotland, Mickelson blasted his own captain Tom Watson (and in essence the PGA of America) for the mismanagement of the team. It was a seminal moment that led to sweeping changes and the formation of the Ryder Cup task force, of which Woods, ever the competitor who had also grown tired of all the losing, readily signed on. Golf’s two biggest stars were aligned, and more importantly the lines of communication, be it the Ryder Cup or other topics, were open.

“I think that had a lot to do with [them becoming closer] because they were forced into the same room,” said Love, who captained the U.S. in a 2012 loss at Medinah before returning in 2016 and a victory at Hazeltine. “It’s hard when you’re both trying to be No. 1. They were on the path to [becoming more friendly] in 2004. That’s why Hal Sutton threw them together. But [how that went] that threw a wrench in things.”

The ill-fated pairing of the top two players in the world at the time was hardly the only wrench.

‘Phil was such a rival of Tiger’s. It wouldn’t have been natural back then [for them to be friends]. He was different than the guys today, the Jordan Spieths and Justin Thomas, who are chummy with each other.’ —Hank Haney

Early on, the competitiveness that comes with youth got in the way. Both were products of Southern California and superstars from an early age, with Mickelson five years older than Woods and the player that Tiger often measured himself against. Mickelson’s enormous success, which included a slew of amateur and collegiate titles as well winning a PGA Tour as a 20-year-old amateur, was an easy target to shoot for.

Once Woods got his chance, of course, he was even better, winning three straight U.S. Junior Amateurs (still the only player to do so) and three straight U.S. Amateurs (also still the only player to do so). By the time Woods turned pro, Mickelson had already won nine times on the PGA Tour but no majors. In Woods’ first major as a professional he captured the 1997 Masters with a record-setting performance. And in 2000, Woods passed Mickelson in career victories on tour, racking up eight wins that season, including three of the year’s four majors, to reach 24 in all—a total that would take Mickelson 13 years to achieve. Mickelson has been in the rear-view mirror ever since.

Though there was always a mutual respect for one another’s abilities, there were varying levels of friction between Woods and Mickelson along the way as well. In a 2003 magazine interview, Mickelson made a crack about Woods using “inferior” equipment. The following year at the Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills, the two players’ games went together about as well as gasoline and a match, with Mickelson deciding the event would be a good time to break in a new driver, fairway woods and golf ball, and Woods rolling his eyes in disgust at one point after Mickelson had hit one OB during their four-ball match.

Stuart Franklin
Where there was once a divide between Phil and Tiger, there is now a bond that’s come with age and time.

In 2007, Mickelson also began working with Butch Harmon, who had been Woods’ instructor in the early years of his career and who clued the left-hander in on some of his former pupil’s competitive psychological moves. Other moments included an off-color joke about Mickelson that Woods had gotten caught telling, according to one source; the occasional crack from Woods about Mickelson’s physique and workout routine, according to Woods’ former swing coach Hank Haney; and, in 2008, a disparaging remark from Woods’ then caddie, Steve Williams, about Mickelson.

As the off-the-course issues flared-up, there were a handful of head-to-head showdowns on the course that also impacted their relationship. They were too few and far between for many fans but they were almost always memorable. Perhaps none more so than their 2005 duel at Doral, where Mickelson had just come off his best season and first major title. Mickelson had a two-shot lead going into the final round, but Woods smoked the field with a closing 66 to Mickelson’s 69 and won by a stroke.

“Phil was such a rival of Tiger’s,” Haney said. “It wouldn’t have been natural back then [for them to be friends]. He was different than the guys today, the Jordan Spieths and Justin Thomas, who are chummy with each other.”

Even so, there have been endearing moments between the two stars through the years.

When Mickelson’s wife Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer in May of 2009, Woods reached out to Mickelson. Six years later, while Woods was struggling with his back and suffering a nasty case of the chip yips, Mickelson sent encouraging texts.

“He offered numerous times to help me out with technique and just about it,” Woods said earlier this year. “I said, ‘Yeah, you and I have the same philosophy in how we approach chipping and how we do it. I just can’t physically do it.’ But now it’s different. I feel better. And my short game has turned around.”

So has their relationship.

When Mickelson was on his way to winning in Mexico earlier this year, Woods texted words of encouragement throughout the week. Afterward, he offered a sincere congratulations. When Woods was in contention at the Valspar Championship, Mickelson did the same. Then there was a practice round at the Masters, their first together.

“I’ve always had that appreciation and respect for him,” Mickelson said later. “I found myself pulling so hard for him [at Valspar]. It was unusual. And I find that I want him to play well, and I’m excited to see him play so well.”

Time, and age, has softened the relationship between Woods, who turns 43 next month, and the 48-year-old Mickelson. It’s not all that dissimilar to the one that Jack Nicklaus had with the late Arnold Palmer, those around Woods and Mickelson say. There are other factors as well.

“Phil isn’t Tiger’s No. 1 rival now,” Haney said. “You only have a rival when you’re the guy sitting on top of the mountain.”

After being found asleep at the wheel of his car near his South Florida home and arrested on suspicion of DUI on Memorial Day weekend 2017, Woods, who had missed most of the previous three years because of injuries and surgeries, checked into a rehab facility to help manage his pain and sleep medication.

“It’s fairly obvious Tiger’s a different person since his last rehab stint,” said Haney, who for 25 years was an alcoholic. “In rehab you don’t just sit there locked in a room where you can’t take pills. You actually talk to people. When you get underneath the hood, something’s changed. I know a lot about that stuff and I think that had a lot to do with it.”

Andrew Redington
The biggest outward sign that Tiger and Phil’s relationship had changed was when they played their first Masters practice round together in April.

Mickelson reached out to Woods then, too, and throughout this season there have been countless stories of how approachable and accommodating Woods has been, from fellow players to fans. He has even been occasionally more open with the media.

“I think he’s more at peace with his role in golf,” Brandt Snedeker, who had been paired with Woods a number of times this year, said earlier this season. “There was a time when he was so focused on winning he lost out on some of the relationships that go on out here. He’s embraced that the last five years, kind of opened up to a mentor role to the younger guys.”

Added player-turned-broadcaster Paul Azinger: “Tiger is living life. Sometimes you need to ask yourself if you’re in a good place. Tiger wasn’t, but he seems to be in a much better place now.”

Once congenial at best and often times icy, the dynamic between the two biggest names in the sport is, too. Which brings us to their latest head to head and just how far the two have come.

After all, how much fun can you have playing golf pong by yourself?

The post From bitter rivals to business partners: How Tiger and Phil’s once-frosty relationship thawed appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Tiger’s former coach gives his take on the most famous construction project in golf

By  Matthew Rudy
Everybody has a take on Tiger Woods’ swing, and how it looks after his comeback from spinal fusion surgery. But there’s nobody in the game who has seen more of Woods’ swings up close than Hank Haney—which gives his analysis formidable weight. Haney taught Tiger from 2004 and 2010, and the stretch from July 2006 to November 2009 produced results that speak for themselves: A win rate of 51 percent, four majors and six WGC titles.

Here, Haney gives his first detailed analysis of Woods’ post-fusion swing, based on images shot during Woods’ debut at the Hero World Challenge in November. The verdict? “When I saw one of his swings posted in October, I knew from his top of the backswing position that he was going to make a successful comeback—and he was going to win again,” Haney says. “From there, he’s in a much better position to avoid the big misses that have hurt him off the tee. Taking it to a tournament is still a work in progress, but I’m excited to see what he does next. It’s going to be a fascinating year.”

ADDRESS

“The thing that catches my eye is Tiger’s foot position. In the past few years, Tiger had his right foot almost dead straight—which restricted his movement off the ball and his turn in the backswing. He also had his left foot turned out more at address, which might make it easier to turn through but it makes it harder to turn back. For Tiger this is a better stance—right foot turned out slightly and the same with his left foot. The other thing to notice about this picture is that Tiger’s grip is not as strong as it was in recent years with his left hand. This is a very neutral grip position, and one that is much better suited for a great golf swing like Tiger’s.”

TAKEAWAY

“This picture is really a perfect ‘one-piece takeaway,’ where everything is working back together. His club is coming up, and he is naturally letting the club face open slightly.”

TOP OF BACKSWING

“Everyone is talking about the fact that Tiger needs to make sure he is moving off the ball a little in the backswing. I agree that he is much better when he does that slightly. He’s done that here, and he’s definitely maintaining his height better than has been in recent years and that’s a big key for him as well.”

TOP OF BACKSWING

“This is the same position I saw in the post on Twitter in October. His left arm is up higher here than it has been, and his club is pointed parallel to his target. This is where he will have the most success. When Tiger’s left arm gets lower and more inside, he gets the club across the line at the top of the swing, and when the club points to the right of the target at the top of the swing, he will always struggle with a two-way miss. I knew when I saw this backswing that he would be able to avoid the big misses.”

DOWNSWING

“With Tiger, this is the picture that tells a lot of the story on how he will do. Does he maintain his height at least to a level that he has enough room to swing properly? His head has lowered here, but that’s mostly just his head. He’s ducked it a little, but if you just focus on his legs and his upper body, he’s not scrunching down like when he has struggled. The club shaft is right in line with his arm. In this picture, the club is coming slightly from the inside, but the hole calls for a draw. When Tiger struggles, that club shaft is lower at this point. This is big improvement in a lot of areas.”

IMPACT

The thing I look for with Tiger in a picture at this point is how far his eyes are looking behind the ball at impact. In this picture, he is looking about 10 to 12 inches behind the ball—which is appropriate for a driver. When Tiger has struggled with the club coming too far from the inside, his head tilts back more at impact and his eyes have looked up to three feet behind the ball. That position also isn’t good for his back because it creates more of a “reverse C” coming into the ball. Whether this change is because he’s trying to protect his back or because of how he needs to swing because of the fusion, it’s a positive change.

FOLLOW THROUGH

“At this point in the swing, the position is more of a result than a conscious effort, but I like the look. This is reminiscent of when Tiger dominated the PGA Tour. The right arm and club are extending into virtually a straight line while he is releasing his body through the ball. He’s let his head and eyes move past the ball, and there’s not too much hanging back with his upper body. At the same time, he’s not gotten in front of the ball too early either.”

TOP OF BACKSWING

“This is a great picture of Tiger really having his left arm up at the top of his swing. The shaft is pointed left of the target as it should be because he is short of parallel, and his left wrist is in a great position here. This is where Tiger will play his best. That swing he was using the past two years is hard for him to play with. He’s better with his left arm up, his club pointed left like this and with not cup in his left wrist.”

DOWNSWING

“The club is coming from a great place here to hit a straight shot. One of the hallmarks of Tiger when he was dominating was that he could play all the shots. It’s easier to play them all when you have a point to work off of—and that starting point is a straight ball. I’d like to see him maintain his height just a little better, but I still maintain that some of that head drop is deceiving because he’s just ducking his head. He has stayed up much better than he has in the past few years. Just a little more up would be on my wishlist, but there’s no doubt in my mind he can win from here.”

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Woods has been making comebacks – from injuries and personal difficulties – since 2008. None have been as successful as that first one, returning from knee surgery to win the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, and most haven’t worked out very well. So it’s reasonable not to expect much when Woods plays in the Hero World Challenge in three weeks. Since he had a first microdiscectomy (the removal of part of a spinal disc to alleviate nerve pain) in March 2014, very little has gone right.

The previous comeback at the same time last year ended up looking very much like it might be his final one. After a 16-month absence from competition forced by two more procedures on the disc in late 2015, Woods showed up at the Hero, made a surprising number of birdies (24, along with six double bogeys) and, though he beat only two players, got good reviews. He seemed to be moving more fluidly, and he set an ambitious playing schedule going forward. But hopes were dashed almost immediately when he badly missed the cut at Torrey Pines and in early February withdrew in Dubai with back spasms. He hasn’t competed since.

It furthered the cynical view that Woods is only playing – or showing off his swing – to retain his endorsement deals. Some thought Woods’ priority is orchestrating a graceful end to his career as a warrior brought down by injuries, rather than from self-inflicted mental wounds stemming from Thanksgiving 2009. That narrative gained more fuel when Woods announced on April 20 that he had just undergone the most extensive surgery of his life – a fusion of the lowest spinal vertebrae (L-5) with the first vertebrae of the sacrum (S-1).

Stan Badz
Tiger Woods smiles as he waits to play the 14th hole on the north course during the Pro-Am round for the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open.

After the admittedly stop-gap measures of the microdiscectomies, the “anterior interbody lumbar fusion” was an all-or-nothing play in terms of future competitive golf. When the healing process goes well, the material that has been inserted into an area opened up between the vertebrae adheres and hardens, ending the cycle of disc fragments or hardened spinal fluid wreaking havoc with nerves. The goal is the end of spasms or shooting pains, and since it is an area where there is virtually no rotation, there should be little if any loss of range of motion. It gives Woods a chance to take a clear-minded, healthy and pain-free cut at the once ball again.

Woods carried out his rehab cautiously and slowly. As late as the Presidents Cup in early October, where he served as an assistant captain, he gave no indication when he would be able to swing a club. But a week later, doctors cleared him to practice, and Woods over the next few weeks released videos of himself first chipping, then hitting an iron, a driver and even a “stinger” with a long iron. By most expert accounts, the swing looked good. Last Monday, the 1,180th-ranked player in the world announced he would be playing in the Bahamas.

Even for those who had grown bored with Woods’ on-again, off-again pattern, the situation is irresistibly intriguing. Woods will be 42 on Dec. 30, but his body remains trim and strong. It may be nearly a decade since he won his 14th major, but it remains hard to accept that there isn’t at least some great golf inside of him.

When in public, Woods seems to be carrying himself more lightly. At the Presidents Cup, he interacted easily with the team and engaged in a memorable hug with Phil Mickelson. Some of his tweets have been humorous. Last week he devoted more than an hour to a podcast hosted by UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma (a good friend of Woods’ caddie, Joe LaCava). When it came to his game, he couldn’t suppress his enthusiasm. “I can’t believe how far I’m hitting the golf ball.”

Woods didn’t discuss the elephant in the room, his arrest in May for suspicion of driving under the influence, but the aftereffects could be a net positive. Certainly video of his sobriety tests were embarrassing, and Woods had to appear in court last month to plead guilty to a reduced charge of reckless driving. But after 23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, who turned his own life around after a DUI arrest, told the New York Times he considered Woods’ mistake “a massive scream for help,” the incident began to be widely considered as an opportunity for Woods to take stock.

“Some people might want to say that Tiger just had a bad night, but there were five different drugs in his system that night,” says Hank Haney, who was Woods’ coach for six years until 2010. “He had to address that, and it looks like he has.”

Rob Carr
Captain’s assistant Tiger Woods of the U.S. Team and Erica Herman look on during Saturday four-ball matches of the 2017 Presidents Cup.

Woods is keeping that area of his life private, but he’s been glad to share that he’s currently pain free. “It was instant nerve relief,” he said five weeks after the fusion surgery. “I haven’t felt this good in years.” Woods has made similar post-injury claims before, when subsequent events proved that he had obviously indeed been hurt. But his words hold more water this time, supported by recent accounts from three former major championship winners.

Two-time U.S. Open winner Retief Goosen in 2012, at age 43, had disc replacement on two vertebrae higher than the location of Woods’ procedure, in a place where the spine undergoes more rotational stress during the golf swing.

“At that point, I couldn’t have played golf again without the surgery,” says Goosen, whose last victory came in 2009. “It was successful. I have zero back pain. I haven’t lost any range of motion or any speed and don’t have any trouble hitting the ball.”

Since the surgery, Goosen hasn’t had much success, managing only seven top-10s on the PGA Tour, with a best of T-2 at Puerto Rico last year. But he doesn’t blame the surgery.

“My short game and putting aren’t as good, but that’s unrelated to my back,” said the 48-year-old South African. “I don’t see any reason Tiger wouldn’t have a similar experience as far as his swing.”

Two more aged Hall of Famers—Lee Trevino, 77, and Lanny Wadkins, 67 —both have had a long history with back problems. Both described excruciating pain that was completely alleviated in their most recent back surgeries that were similar to Woods’.

Wadkins in 2008 had double spinal fusion on higher vertebrae than those Woods was operated on. “It was immediate improvement,” he said. “Just a little soreness, and then making sure I did no twisting for three months. But because the pain had gone away, I couldn’t wait to do the rehab. I became the go-in-early-and-stay-late guy. Within five months, I was hitting drivers, which is the easiest club to hit post surgery. The short irons force you to bend over a little more and stay in your spine angle.

“I really lost very little, if anything. Unfortunately, I did it at a time when my competitive career was basically over. Maybe a little rotation, but that goes as we get thicker anyway. Tiger is in so much better shape, he may rotate just as much.”

Wadkins expects more good and possibly great golf from Woods. “I really feel that pain-free, Tiger has a good chance,” he said. “For all he’s been through, he’s still got a lot going in his favor. Frankly, it’s amazing to me how many people almost seem like they want him to be done. Why would you want him gone? All he does if he comes back and plays is make our game better. Can you imagine if Tiger could come back and play at a really high level? Where he can win tournaments competing with these kids today? It would be some of the most exciting stuff we’ve ever seen.”

Trevino, the winner of six majors and 29 PGA Tour titles, along with 29 more on the then-Senior Tour, has battle-tested knowledge. Trevino’s back went bad in 1975 after he was hit by lightning at the Western Open. He had a disc removed the next year, and with diminished swing speed but plenty of guile won the Vardon Trophy in 1980, and memorably, the 1984 PGA at age 44. He stayed mostly healthy for his prodigious senior run. But in 2003 his back flared up so severely that he thought he might never play even recreational golf again.

“I was dead on my back for three months,” Trevino said. Desperate, he traveled to Germany to have space-making steel rollers, called “X-Stops,” implanted in his spine.

“I came out of that surgery painless, which was an unbelievable feeling,” remembers Trevino. “We flew home, I did my rest and rehab, and pretty soon I felt so good I went absolutely crazy hitting balls and playing. I mean, I couldn’t swing hard enough at it. I was just so happy. I just wish that had happened when I was 44 instead of 64.”

Trevino believes that Woods will have a similar experience. “My prediction, he’ll come back in a blaze of glory,” Trevino says. “He’s not too old, far from it. If he gets fixed, when he comes back to hitting and feels no pain, he’s going to be so happy, that he may be more dangerous than he was before.”

Trevino doesn’t discount the possibility that Woods’ fusion won’t work. “Hey, if they couldn’t fix him, then it is over,” he said. “You can only chase a rainbow so many times. But I’d say there is a good chance they fixed him. Then watch out. Anybody who says he isn’t still hungry is crazy. Listen, the few times that I’ve seen him, all he wants to do is bury people. He wants to bury the golfers. That doesn’t stop. He’s got more killer instinct than anybody I have ever seen.”

It’s a view of Woods more common among players than other observers, and generally more strongly held the better the player. Such kindred spirits can most identify with the deep fulfillment the game can provide to a player touched with a special gift. And how it becomes clear with age that no other activity in life outside of family will ever match that fulfillment.

Chris Condon
Tiger Woods falls to the ground in pain after hitting his second shot on the 13th hole during the final round of The Barclays in 2013.

Former Open champion Ian Baker-Finch sensed happiness in Woods when he recently saw him playing with friends at Medalist C.C. in Jupiter, Fla. “I think Tiger must love the game as much as the game loves him, or he wouldn’t continue to play,” he said. “If his back allows him to practice, he will do everything he possibly can to come back to play. Because he is Tiger and so mentally capable, I believe that if he’s healthy, he will figure it out. His competitive spirit also gives him a desire to find out where he stacks up among the other players.”

It’s what Haney, a close observer of Woods and hard grader in his assessment of his former charge, perceived when he went out on a limb to publicly proclaim that Woods would definitely begin his comeback at the Hero.

“I knew he was going to play, because what else was he going to do?” Haney said glibly, before elaborating. “Every athlete in the history of sports, when they get hurt, in their minds they circle a date when they can come back. He’s now missed enough golf. For a time, he might not have missed golf that much. But that was basically a drug addict that didn’t miss golf. A clean and sober Tiger misses golf.”

Haney is impressed with what he saw in the short videos that Woods released, and made these points.

–“For the first time since 2010, it looks like a swing he can play with. I know what he can play with and what he can’t play with. And I feel he can play with that swing.”

–“The main thing is that he is not getting the club behind him on the downswing, which causes his two-way miss. It’s what he has to do to keep his driver in play.”

–“He’s showing the stinger shot again. I don’t know why he ever stopped using that, but it was one of his great weapons.”

–“As far as swing speed, I think he knows he has sufficient speed to play well or he wouldn’t be trying to play.”

–“The short game is still an unknown issue. But if he’s telling people he’s having chipping contests in his backyard with Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas, it’s because he was not afraid to embarrass himself. Before he was not chipping in public. If he had had trouble in his backyard, that would have gotten out.”

–“So much is said about the young guys being so good. But this is Tiger Woods, who did and maybe can do things they haven’t. At the Presidents Cup, he really saw those guys up close, and it probably helped his confidence.”

Not that Woods won’t have psychological hurdles when he again puts his game on display. For all the talk of the soft landing at the Hero – on a forgiving course he knows well, in a relaxed event with an 18-man field – there will still be plenty of pressure on Woods. Scrutiny will be high as ever for the player whose historical greatness means his competitive game will never escape judgment. He also admitted to Auriemma that despite assurances that the fusion is solid, he’ll have to get over a fear of hurting himself when making hard swings. “Still in the back of my mind I remember making those swings and ending up on the ground,” he said.

But the most astute judges – his fellow players – are the least surprised when the game produces the miraculous, and know firsthand that Woods is probably golf’s all-time leader in miracles.

“A lot of guys have won majors in their 40s. It’s there, it’s a fact,” Ernie Els told CBSSports.com. “If myself, Phil, Vijay, Darren Clarke…if we can do it, he certainly can do it.”

On Auriemma’s podcast, Woods also alluded to how his two young children, Sam and Charlie, “always tell me that I’m the YouTube golfer…They don’t really know me as the golfer. They know me as the guy who’s injured.”

If Woods can somehow stop being that guy, there will be nothing more intriguing in all of sport than the golfer to emerge.

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