Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer to have ever graced the game in many people’s eyes.
And even if you don’t think Tiger Woods is the best player who has ever lived, it’s hard to argue that he isn’t number two on the list at the very least.
The 50-year-old American has won a record equalling 82 PGA Tour events, including 15 major championships.
Woods burst onto the scene in 1996 under the guidance of Butch Harmon and he never looked back after winning his first event at the Las Vegas Invitational in October of that year.
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Many believe that Woods would have actually gone on to achieve even more success, had he stuck with Harmon as his coach.
However, it’s incredibly hard to criticize the great man, given what he has accomplished in the game.
One of the things that made Tiger so good was the fact that he was so willing and open to learn from the great players who preceded him.
Tiger Woods loved watching one player practice during majors
If you want to know anything about Woods, Butch Harmon is your man.
Harmon coached the 15-time major champion for 11 years from 1993 until 2004.
However, Woods learned plenty from some of the great names on the PGA Tour as well.
When speaking to SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, Harmon revealed how much respect Woods had for Jose Maria Olazabal.
“What I would have him do, when he was younger, because he wasn’t the best wedged player in the world. He didn’t spin the ball well, and I would arrange at the majors, even when he was an amateur champion, I’d get him playing with former champions.
“I’d have him play a lot with Seve or Jose Maria (Olazabal) or Raymond Floyd and Greg.
“And I said, ‘just ask them questions, they’re happy to help you’.
“He loved Jose Maria’s short game. He just loved the way Jose could spin the ball, and he would go watch him practice.
“I said, ‘if you’re in an event and Jose’s practicing, working with his wedge game and stuff, go watch him’.
“Tiger really enjoyed learning from this guy.
“He had guys that he thought were really good at what they did, and he wanted to learn how to do it, and he didn’t have a problem because I would arrange for him to play practice rounds with them.
“He didn’t have a problem talking to them about it, and the guys were great. They would help him, you know.“
What Phil Mickelson said about Jose Maria Olazabal’s short game
Phil Mickelson, along with Woods of course, is regarded as having one of the very best short games in the history of the game.
However, even Mickelson has been left flabbergasted at times when watching Olazabal around the greens.
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He said: “His short game is one of the best that’s ever been. What’s so great about his short game over here is he gets the ball running on the ground.
“Because the rye grass is wet, you’ll see balls skip, and on 3 (on Saturday) I drove it down there in front of the green, I bumped it into the hill, and it skips. But when it’s dry, you can’t hit that shot.
“Olazabal is able to get that ball rolling through better than I’ve ever seen. He chips with a 4-iron, 6-iron, 8-iron, whatever he needs to get the ball chasing through the grass.
“If I try to hit that shot on 3 when it’s dry, it just grabs it, pops the ball straight up, and it comes right back down on my feet. He would be able to hit that shot with 5, 6, 7-iron and get it running up with incredible touch.
“I’ve always enjoyed watching his skill because I’m really not great at that shot, and he is the best in the world. It helped him score well this week.”
When you receive praise for your short game from someone like Phil Mickelson, you know you’re doing something right!
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