Tiger Woods :: Time to drop Sean Foley?

When the final day’s play gets underway at the PGA Championship this Sunday, it will mark four years since Tiger Woods teamed-up with swing coach Sean Foley. It is, then, the perfect time to assess Woods’ work with the Canadian.

Above all else, Tiger Woods is judged on his performances in majors. During his time with Foley, the 14-time major winner hasn’t added to the total he amassed with previous coaches Butch Harmon and Hank Haney.

Harmon was the American’s first professional coach from when he turned pro in 1996, and was with him until early 2004. In that time, the 38-year-old arguably played his best golf. Harmon guided Woods to his first major in 1997 at the Masters, and over the course of their time together, seven more majors would come Tiger’s way. The pairs greatest achievement came in 2000 – 2001, when Woods held all four majors at once. In total, Tiger Woods won 55 times on tour when working with Harmon.

In March 2004, Tiger Woods dropped Harmon and sought the services of Hank Haney. With Haney, Woods won six major championships. He won the Masters once, successive Opens in ’05 and ’06, and two PGA Championships on the bounce in ’06 and ’07. The American also won his most recent major championship, the US Open in 2008, under Haney’s teaching. From mid 2004 to the end of 2009, Tiger won more than a third of tournaments he entered – 41 PGA Tour titles to be exact.

Since he began working with Sean Foley in 2010, it’s clear he hasn’t been as successful as previously.

In August 2010, Tiger teamed-up with Sean Foley, who has worked with the likes of Hunter Mahan and Justin Rose. Since that time, Woods has struggled with injury and, consequently, his form. He’s won nine times on the PGA Tour since 2010, the Players Championship last year, arguably, his most notable success.

Crucially, though, Tiger is in the midst of a six-year major drought, and Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors looks to be fading over the horizon.

So, since he began working with Sean Foley in 2010, it’s clear he hasn’t been as successful as previously. Injuries have played their part, for sure, but do you think Tiger Woods needs a change? Should he drop Sean Foley?

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