PGA Tour champion questions veteran instructor’s absence from World Golf Hall of Fame

PGA Tour pro Michael Kim has questioned veteran instructor Butch Harmon's absence from the World Golf Hall of Fame. His response came after the legendary instructor said it would be the greatest honor in his professional life to get inducted into the list.

On Monday, March 30, Golf Today host Eamon Lynch expressed surprise that Butch Harmon wasn't in the Golf Hall of Fame. The veteran golf instructor said it would be a great honor for him, but he missed it last year by just one vote.

"If it ever happens, it would be probably the greatest honor in my professional life. If it doesn't happen, there's nothing I can do about that. I've just tried to be the best I could be at what I do, and I just let my record speak for itself," he said.

Reacting to the comments, Michael Kim also questioned Harmon's absence from the list.

"Huh? How is Butch not in the Hall of fame?" he wrote on X.

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Butch Harmon's legendary career on the PGA Tour explored

Butch Harmon and Tiger Woods at the The Masters 2000 (Image Source: Getty)

Harmon played on the PGA Tour for several years, but his career grew more as a golf instructor. His legendary resume includes work with Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Stewart Cink, Greg Norman, Davis Love III, Fred Couples, Justin Leonard, Nick Watney, and Rickie Fowler. He also worked alongside Jimmy Walker, Dustin Johnson, and Gary Woodland before semi-retiring in 2019.

Harmon and Woods had one of the most legendary partnerships on the PGA Tour. Woods went on to win eight majors in 24 starts from 1993 to 2004 and claimed 34 official PGA Tour events with an outstanding 27% success rate. During these eleven years, Woods was named Tour Player of the Year five times. Harmon was also part of Tiger's legendary 142 consecutive cuts streak on the Tour.

Harmon also had a great record with Phil Mickelson. Under his coaching, Mickelson notched 12 PGA Tour titles, including two major wins and The Players Championship. The duo split in 2015 after eight years of partnership.

Els, Norman, and Dustin Johnson were among other major winners under the veteran instructor's guidance. For the uninitiated, Johnson still works alongside Harmon's son, Claude Harmon III, who took up full-time coaching after Harmon Sr. retired.

Harmon was also ranked as the World No. 1 golf teacher by Golf Digest magazine in 2003. He has won this award multiple times since then.