The ‘cardinal rule’ Butch Harmon once broke at Augusta National after watching Adam Scott win The Masters

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While Augusta National is hallowed ground in the eyes of most golf fans, few have a connection with the iconic course quite as deep as Butch Harmon.

Butch Harmon was four years old when his father won The Masters in 1948. And although the 82-year-old never got to tee it up in the event himself, he has certainly helped a number of players triumph at Augusta National.

Harmon was Tiger Woods‘ coach when he confirmed his status as a superstar of the game with his 12-shot victory in 1997. The pair were still working together when Woods completed the Tiger Slam by winning The Masters for a second time four years later.

He was also Phil Mickelson‘s coach when the 55-year-old won his third green jacket in 2010.

But it seems that it is another victory which meant even more to the legendary coach.

How Butch Harmon broke one of his cardinal rules as Adam Scott won The Masters in 2013

Adam Scott is one of those players who seemed to have the talent to win multiple majors during his career. Harmon once compared Scott’s swing with Tiger Woods, having met him for the first time in 1998.

The Australian’s maiden major victory came at The Masters in 2013 as he beat Ángel Cabrera in a playoff.

Scott began the final round one shot back of the leaders before ending up level with Cabrera at nine under par. They also both made pars on the first additional hole, which meant that they headed down the 10th.

As Harmon previously told Golf Digest, he struggled to maintain his professionalism when Scott was stood over the putt to win.

“With rain coming down and the light fading, Scottie had a 15-footer for birdie to win. I was doing commentary for Sky Sports in the TV tower. I always try to stay neutral on telecasts and just say what I see, but this time it was hard. I also didn’t want to black-cat him by saying the wrong thing on television,” he wrote.

“As he stood over that putt, I heard our producer in my ear: “Keep a camera on Butch. I want to see his reaction.” When the putt curled in, I went crazy, broke my cardinal rule. Then my on-air partner, Ewen Murray, turned to me and said, “Butch, what do you think?” I had tears streaming down my face. I couldn’t get the words out.

“That’s as emotional as I’ve ever been watching one of my guys win. Scottie signed a Masters flag for me with the most beautiful message that starts, ‘Coach, mentor and great mate …’ That flag hangs in the same hitting bay where I watched him hit those first balls 25 years ago.”

The remarkable major championship career of Adam Scott

Scott – who has played in every single major since The Open Championship in 2001 – has had a number of close calls over the years, including at the US Open earlier this year when he played his way into the final group on Sunday at Oakmont.

Few will forget the agonising way the 2012 Open Championship concluded for Scott, with the 45-year-old making four bogeys on his final four holes to lose by one to Ernie Els.

That would have made what happened at Augusta National the following year all the sweeter, not only for Scott, but also the man who had been so influential in his career over the previous 15 years.