Butch Harmon, the renowned former coach of Tiger Woods, has disclosed that he thought it would be best for Woods if he missed the cut at The Masters in 2023.
In an interview with GolfMagic prior to The Masters, Harmon stated that he didn’t think Woods would be able to play another 36 holes, which is why he didn’t want the 15-time major champion to make the cut in 2023.
Harmon’s worries were realized when Woods was forced to withdraw from the third round after playing seven holes because an old ankle issue had gotten worse.
Woods has only played in five tournament rounds since withdrawing from the game last year: four at the Hero World Challenge in Albany and one at the Genesis Invitational earlier this year.
Related: As paramedics race to Riviera, Tiger Woods is forced to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational.
Woods stated he was pain-free following another surgery on his ankle following the Masters in 2023, but the virus once more forced him to miss the Genesis Invitational.
Both Tiger Woods and Butch Harmon
Both Tiger Woods and Butch Harmon
We sat down to talk with Harmon and inquired about Woods’ prospects for the following week. He thinks that the walk rather than the golf will be the thing that prevents him from competing.
He declared:
Tiger would not participate if he didn’t believe his game was really good, thus I believe we should anticipate it to be fairly sharp. Is he able to walk? is the issue. We play walking golf on one of the most difficult courses there all year round. It has a lot of uneven and side hill lays and is somewhat mountainous. As much as we love having Tiger in the field, I truly wish he hadn’t made the cut because I didn’t think he could walk another 18 holes, and it turned out he couldn’t. If you recall our telecast from last year when he made the cut.”
Even with Woods’ extensive injury history, lack of playing time, and difficult course conditions, Harmon was hesitant to rule him out of the running.
He continued, saying:
“Now we all know with Tiger never say never, and I can remember back in 2019, we had one of these (interviews), and everyone asked me if Tiger Woods could ever win the masters, and I said I doubted it because he hadn’t played, but all you’ve gotta do is tell him he can’t do something and he will try and prove you wrong, that’s his mentality, that’s one of the reasons he was the best in the world.”
Harmon, who knows Woods better than most, coached him for 11 years during the peak of his career, when he won 34 PGA Tour events and eight major championships. Harmon also pointed out that, in addition to his walking style, Woods’ short game may be tested on Augusta National’s infamously difficult greens.
Harmon stated to GolfMagic:
“It will be fascinating to observe how he walks, navigates hills, and generally carries himself during the practice rounds. Knowing him, I would think that his game will be passable from the tee to the green. Even though he has one of the top short games in the world, I have no idea how nervous he will be playing the short game because he has never played in a competition.
It cannot be turned on or off. It must always be turned on. However, I believe the real question is whether he could physically walk 72 holes or more when Augusta National practice rounds are taken into account. That won’t be known until we meet him.
“He knows how to get around Augusta, but the big question is, will his body allow him to become Tiger Woods again?”
Harmon said that Woods is a player you can never count out, and it seems that bookmakers are aware of this as well.
Woods Tiger
Woods Tiger
At Augusta National, Woods will be attempting to earn his sixth green jacket when he tees off. Most bookies still have him at 90/1 to win even though he hasn’t played much tournament golf in the run-up.
To put things in perspective, Woods’ odds are shorter than those of a number of other past champions, like as Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott, and Phil Mickelson.
From April 11–14, you can watch The Masters on Sky Sports Golf and with a NOW subscription. You can also keep up with all the news throughout the week on Sky Sports’ digital and social media platforms.