redsfan:
Your question ties in with a post I was going to get to, sooner rather than later, that looks ahead to the U.S. Open.
Cut and pasted below is a section from my 2/14/04 post that includes the information you requested:
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"This is the list I have compiled of players that have a student relationship with Butch Harmon in a serious quest to do the right things and whatever is necessary:
- Stewart Cink
- Adam Scott
- Fred Couples
- Steve Flesch
- Corey Pavin
- Darren Clarke
- Ben Crane
- Mathias Gronberg
- Justin Leonard
- Jean Van de Velde
- Kevin Na
- Jose Maria Olazabal
- Tom Purtzer
- (Mark Calcavecchia, Natalie Gulbis, John Schroeder, Greg Kraft, Chris Patton, and a few other names I've scribbled in my notes and can't locate. I would be interested to know if anyone can add to, expand upon, or correct any errors in my list.)
And he was good enough for Earl Woods. (Another extraneous aside: During the 2003 Tour Championship, Butch had some observations on flaws creeping into Tiger's game that were spot on, and since the end of the football season I have been meaning to make the time to transcribe them from my VCR tape as being well worth posting. I will get that done.)
A few weeks ago, I saw a replay of a Golf Academy episode with Butch Harmon on The Golf Channel, and there were segments comparing the old and new swings of his various students. HANDS DOWN, Stewart Cink took first prize for a transformation from night to day. Tom Weiskopf would be jealous of the swing I saw that night, and it was hard for Butch not to gush.
This is probably a good time to mention that for weeks, their have been names on that list of students that have stood out from the crowd, on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, when it comes to closing out a round over the final three, six or nine holes. That's no good.
And before concluding, I'll note the obvious that there are a good number of other veteran professionals that are not working with Butch Harmon that are showing well based a renewed commitment to excellence - Phil Mickelson, Jesper Parnevik, Steve Webster, and Tom Lehman come first to mind. As Parnevik noted on Thursday, in this game you never know when the hard work is going to pay off, but it's sure a lot of fun to see the results when they start arriving.
IMO, Cink has been headed for an inevitable emergence, and I wish I had been all over it this week. Some sharp play from Cink this weekend should come as lot less of a surprise than a blown gasket. And without having any numbers as evidence, I suspect without really knowing that a change of course is better than staying at the same course when you are trying to answer after an exceptionally low round.
So what's the point, and what are my wagers:
A. Everything runs its course, and I found spots to oppose both Clarke and Pavin on Friday. But that list of students has been a profitable source of information to this point in the season, and you might keep a close eye on the progress being made by any professional that is under Butch Harmon's wing.
B. Adam Scott(50/1 e.w.) at Augusta @ Bet365. He drips class. A win in 2004 would be ahead of the curve, and I'll be looking for a better offer in matchups or one of the specialty markets (i.e. Top Australian), but that price is a good bit too high right now.
C. Stewart Cink(66/1 e.w.) in the U.S. Open @ Bet365. Every year (2002 and 2003
) in the Masters, I've had more than one play that I really, really liked, and my enthusiasm proved justified. In the other three majors, the single play in two years I felt as strong about as my Masters picks was Mickelson(20/1) at Bethpage. Other than that, nothing that got me really excited, and it's speaking mildly to say I have had corresponding results. There is a lot of golf to be played from here to June, and you want the scenario to play out just right, but Cink(66/1) is looking strong as finally being pick No. 2 that I really like in one of the majors other than the Masters."
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I was there with Adam Scott at 40/1 at the Players Championship and have him at 50/1 in the rest of the majors, and I was early on Mickelson at 20/1 in the U.S. Open, and I had a small investment in Stewart Cink last week, but Stewart Cink at 66/1 at Shinnecock was put in the vault for a few dollars more than usual.
GL
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ADDENDUM ON 5/19/04:
The latest names in the stable of Butch Harmon (and/or his son Claude Harmon):
- Graeme McDowell
- Trevor Immelman
- Paul Lawrie
Good for them, I suspect.
