The Five Biggest Wins By Phil Mickelson Under Butch Harmon

Last week Phil Mickelson announced he was splitting up with his coach of 8 years, Butch Harmon. Since the dynamic duo parted, it only makes sense to reflect on the relationship.

Here are the 5 biggest wins for Phil while Butch was his coach:

1. 2007 Players Championship

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Soon after hiring Butch as his coach, Phil came out on top with a two shot victory over Sergio Garcia, at TPC Sawgrass. This win became Phil’s second PGA Tour title of the season and the 31st win of his career.

He missed only two greens in regulation to close out the deal with a three-under 69 to win on 11 under par! After Phil’s caddie gave him the flag for the 18th hole, he wrote on it; “Butch, the first of many”.

2. 2009 WGC-CA Championship

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Only Lefty could overcome a severe stomach virus, by winning his first World Golf Championship title in the WGC-CA Championship at Doral.

It was not an easy win, as Phil felt dehydrated and sick for most of play. He even went to the hospital after the 3rd round, but he pulled it out by tapping it in on day 4 for another 69 at 19 under par.

3. 2009 Tour Championship


Phil ended his 2009 PGA Tour season by winning the Tour Championship. He recovered from a first day score of 73 by scoring 67, 66, and 65 consecutively to beat Tiger Woods by 3 strokes.

“I like the way the day went,” said Mickelson afterwards. “I was two behind Tiger, beat him by three. He gets $10m, I get $4m, but I’ve got no problem with that. I just love holding this trophy.”

4. 2010 Masters Championship

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Mickelson ended his four-year major drought by winning the 2010 Masters, and gaining yet another Green Jacket. He secured his win by making birdie after birdie against Lee Westwood, ending with a score of 67.

“I’m in love with this place. It just brings out the best in me,” said Mickelson after his first major win since linking up with Butch Harmon, who added: “I’ve never seen him drive the ball this good, it’s giving him a lot of confidence.”

5. 2013 Open Championship

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Struggling to secure an Open Championship win, after 20 years, Phil finally took home the gold at Muirfield. Just a week after winning the Scottish Open title, Mickelson claimed an unprecedented double after a sensational final-day 66 which featured four birdies over the final six holes.

Phil was the only one to get under par that day, ending with a 3 under. His caddie, Jim Macay, called it “the best round of his career”.

I hope Butch and Phil look back at their relationship and remember all of the victories they had together. I’d say they had a pretty successful run.