Post-Tiger, Harmon Moves On

By THOMAS BONK

Aug. 29, 2002 12 AM PT

Tiger and Butch, Butch and Tiger, it’s always sounded like a couple of characters from “The Little Rascals,” hasn’t it?

Now that Tiger Woods has gone on record and officially said that he’s parting ways with coach Butch Harmon, or at least not using him as much, it’s officially the end of an era.

This has been coming for a long time, so it can’t be considered much of a surprise anymore. In fact, it was a year ago at the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club when it was reported that the two were squabbling, which Woods and Harmon quickly denied.

But insiders have been saying for months that the Woods-Harmon relationship was indeed on rocky ground and now it has been confirmed--by both parties.

At this year’s PGA Championship at Hazeltine, Woods said that his relationship with Harmon had changed and he simply didn’t need him to be around as much anymore to help with his swing.

Harmon didn’t comment until this week and then refused to be drawn into the discussion.

“I really don’t see any reason to get involved in this and comment any further,” Harmon said Wednesday.

“Tiger’s said enough, I think. It’s not going to do anybody any good to debate this thing, so I’m just going to be silent and leave it alone.”

Harmon did say that he would be at the Ryder Cup next month at the Belfry, in Sutton Coldfield, England. To work with Woods? That’s not probable. Harmon will be at the Ryder Cup to work as a commentator for Sky TV.

It’s interesting to note that on the driving range the final day at Hazeltine in Chaska, Minn., Harmon was working with Justin Leonard, not Woods.

Harmon has varied business interests, based around his golf school at Rio Secco Golf Club in Las Vegas, so you have to figure that he will be all right. And remember that Harmon also coaches Adam Scott, the 22-year-old Australian who won the Scottish PGA Championship at Gleneagles by 10 shots Sunday with a closing 63 and played the par-fives in 22 under for the week.

“I’m very happy with Adam and proud of it,” said Harmon. He is also working with rookie pro Ben Crane, who tied for sixth last week at the Reno-Tahoe Open and was second in May at the Byron Nelson Classic. Crane is fifth on the PGA Tour in putting average.

And as for a current swing influence on Tiger, you probably need to look no further than Mark O’Meara, whose influence on Woods has been steadily rising.

Tiger Update

He’s resting. After finishing second in the PGA Championship and fourth in the NEC Invitational in successive weeks (and banking $809,000), Woods spent a day doing a corporate gig for Nike at company headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., on Monday, and then started a three-week vacation.

Woods returns Sept. 19 at the $5-million American Express Championship at Kilkenny, Ireland, and the Ryder Cup the next week at the Belfry near Birmingham, England.

That’s Rich

The headline from a www.canada.com news release on this week’s PGA Air Canada championship: “Fred Couples to play, Jim Beem turns down the Air Canada Championship.”

Yes, fame is fleeting.

Weight for This

From Ricky Barnes of Stockton, who won the U.S. Amateur at Oakland Hills, on spending six months losing 65 pounds when he was a freshman in high school: “I was a little chunkster.”

Schedule News

It hasn’t been officially released, but an insider’s peek at the 2003 PGA Tour schedule shows a very busy West Coast stretch of five consecutive tournaments.

The list: Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, Jan. 29-Feb. 2; Pebble Beach AT&T;, Feb. 6-9; Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines, Feb. 13-16; Nissan Open, Feb. 20-23; the Accenture World Match Play, Feb. 27-March 2.

It’s a different schedule from this year, when the Phoenix Open was scheduled between the Hope and Pebble Beach.

The World Match Play is back at La Costa as a result of a new four-year agreement that runs through 2006. La Costa has undergone a $50-million renovation.

Count Them Next Time

News item: William Guy of Scotland was disqualified from the Scottish PGA Championship when he ran out of golf balls by the seventh hole of his second round.

Reaction: Doesn’t he get them for free? Who was his caddie, Ian Woosnam’s?

Back to Back

Greg Norman pulled out of this week’s BMW International in Munich, Germany, because of a bad back, but that’s not as big a news item as Colin Montgomerie’s withdrawal from the same tournament. Montgomerie withdrew from the NEC Invitational after nine holes Friday because of back pain that could affect his play at the Ryder Cup. Montgomerie is unbeaten in five Ryder Cup singles matches.

Princely

Prince Albert of Monaco is the host at a charity golf tournament next month in Monte Carlo that will feature a 77-yard 19th hole--in Casino Square, where the best angle from the tee to the green is over a fountain.

Information describing the event deserves some sort of recognition in press-release-hall-of-fame competition, if there were such a thing.

Take a deep breath ...

“Despite concerns that the hole’s presence would create a logjam of people-traffic in the Principality’s bustling town square, the “Golf in the City” project was made possible by the excellent collaborative relationship the Monte Carlo Invitational holds with various municipality departments and with the SBM [Society des Bains de Mer], whose activities would be heavily impacted by the ambitious project.”

Thank you, and please pass the canapes.

Tournament Update

The Fred Meyer Challenge is looking for a title sponsor after 17 years in Portland, Ore., and Ford Motor Co. is interested in becoming the title sponsor at Doral in Miami in a four-year deal beginning in March. This week’s Air Canada Championship near Vancouver could be the last because there is no title sponsor for next year.

Turfball

News item: Oakland Plantation Turf Farm, a distributor for the Greg Norman Turf Co., installed 110,000 square feet of Norman’s GN-1 hybrid Bermuda grass on the stadium floor of Ravens Stadium in Baltimore.

Reaction: From an expert on slip-ups.

Ryder Cup Update

Brace yourself, because they’re already keeping track of points for the 2004 Ryder Cup team, even though this year’s event isn’t even going to be played until next month.

Sure, 2004 is way off and a lot can happen before the final U.S. team is solidified, but if you’re keeping score, here is the latest top 10 for the team two years from now: Woods, Leonard, Phil Mickelson, Rich Beem, Fred Funk, Chris Riley, Rocco Mediate, David Toms, Jerry Kelly and Jim Furyk.

Wizard Says

Ozzie Smith, the Hall of Fame shortstop, has taken up golf and his best score is a 78, although he’s usually in the mid-80s. He is a member at Fox Run Country Club in Eureka, Mo., and at the Country Club of St. Albans, near St. Louis.

Says Smith: “People ask me all the time, ‘What’s easier, golf or baseball?’ And I say, ‘Baseball.’ ”

Suggestion Box

In the September issue of Golf magazine, in a tongue-in-cheek letter to Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson, possible candidates are suggested to be the first female member, along with a comment.

The list includes Tonya Harding (“We know she can swing a club.”) and Anna Kournikova (“So what? She can’t play tennis either.”).

Birdies, Bogeys, Pars

The Ninth Cancer for College tournament will be held Sept. 20 at Pala Mesa Resort in Fallbrook, Calif. The event benefits the North County charity that provides college scholarships to current and former cancer patients. Details: (760) 599-9339.

The NFL Celebrity Shootout at La Costa raised $350,000 for NFL and player charities. The event will be televised Sept. 7 on Fox.

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This Week

*--* PGA TOUR: Air Canada Championship

*--*

When: Today-Sunday.

Where: Northview Golf and Country Club (7,072 yards, par 71); Surrey, Canada.

TV: ESPN2 (today, noon-1 p.m.) and ESPN (today, 1-3 p.m.; Friday, noon-3 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m.).

2001 winner: Joel Edwards.

Next week: Canadian Open at Angus Glen in Markham, Canada.

*--* LPGA TOUR: State Farm Classic

*--*