Tiger Fires Sean Foley

[zipazoid]

http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2014/08/tiger-woods-announces-hes-spli.html

Tiger Woods announces he's splitting with coach Sean Foley

By Sam Weinman

Tiger Woods is splitting with Sean Foley, his coach of four years, the former world No. 1 announced on his website Monday . Woods said he has no immediate plans to work with another instructor.

"I'd like to thank Sean for his help as my coach and for his friendship," Woods said. "Sean is one of the outstanding coaches in golf today, and I know he will continue to be successful with the players working with him. With my next tournament not until my World Challenge event at Isleworth in Orlando, this is the right time to end our professional relationship."

Woods, winless in majors since the 2008 U.S. Open, has been hampered by a back injury for most of 2014, having played just seven events, and completing all four rounds of just two. After re-aggravating his back at the PGA Championship, Woods, 38, removed himself from consideration for the U.S. Ryder Cup team and said he would not play again until his own tournament in December in order to focus on recovery.

The Orlando-based Foley, a Golf Digest Teaching Professional, was Woods' third coach as a professional, following Butch Harmon and Hank Haney. Woods and Foley were first seen working together at the 2010 PGA Championship.

Coincidentally, news of Foley's split with Woods comes a day after another of the teacher's students, Hunter Mahan, won his sixth PGA Tour event at the Barclays.

"My time spent with Tiger is one of the highlights of my career so far, and I am appreciative of the many experiences we shared together," Foley said in a statement. "It was a lifelong ambition of mine to teach the best player of all-time in our sport. I am both grateful for the things we had the opportunity to learn from one another, as well as the enduring friendship we have built. I have nothing but respect and admiration for him."

Although Woods enjoyed some success under Foley, most notably in a five-win Player of the Year season in 2013, the relationship has been under intense scrutiny, particularly of late. Among Foley's sharpest critics has been Golf Channel commentator Brandel Chamblee, a former PGA Tour player who says Woods has regressed as a driver under Foley.

“Watching a guy swing that short and that quick and develop the yips -- and there is no other word for it, the yips -- with his driver, is really sad to see," Chamblee said July 29 on Golf Channel . "And he is never, ever going to dominate with this move unless he changes it, because he still has between his ears what made him the best player of all time perhaps.”

A former Foley student, Parker McLachlin, also gained attention when he urged Woods to leave Foley on Twitter earlier this month.

[grubby98]

Golf Channel just had statement as well.  It was just a matter of time.  It wasn't working.  Plus his injuries are adding up with him.  Is it the swing causing it, or is it his working out with the swing.  Well we will begin to find out.  Wonder if he will attempt to go back to Butch?

[jamo]

Oh boy.

[RonTheSavage]

HOLY :censored: this is gonna be a fun topic!

[David in FL]

No surprise.

I wonder if LaCava's feeling a little nervous these days.

[skydog]

Needless to say, I'm glad to see this. We can argue about why, but the fact is, the relationship wasn't working. Hope he makes the smart choice and steers clear of instructors for quite some time.

[Mr. Desmond]

When I saw this thread, I thought this was the "Onion."

I have no idea what Tiger wants, but I hope a new set of eyes does help.

I saw an analysis over the weekend of Tiger's very late release of lag with the driver, juxtaposed against his swing with Butch. The Butch release looked like the release advocated here at the Trap, as well as videos I've seen of Grant Waite, another center pivot swing.

The differences were obvious and enlightening.

Now I don't know if that was Foley or Tiger, but what they had... did not seem to be working, except for a 2+ month period last year.

[Patch]

This is not a surprise. I now wonder who Woody's next victim will be .

[saevel25]

I think Chamblee should become Tiger's next swing coach. He seems to know EXACTLY what is wrong with Tiger's swing.

[Zeph]

Hmm. Not sure if this will be good or bad for him. We'll have to wait and see where he goes from here.

[nevets88]

Here's the Tweet from the former student:

https://twitter.com/ParkerMcLachlin/statuses/497408059007074304

[taxgolf]

Well, things worked last season whe he won 5 times. Only TW knows.

[iacas]

  taxgolf said:

Well, things worked last season whe he won 5 times. Only TW knows.

I think that last year he won in spite of poor driving.

Tiger hasn't really been himself since 2009. On the golf course or, seemingly, off. I don't care about the latter.

I didn't particularly like the Haney backswing, and his new one is better. But the backswing doesn't matter as much as the downswing…

[taxgolf]

It is a topsport. Hard working. If things do not work out, the coach get fired. In Europe football is popular. It is the coach whom receives the blame. It might well be a mental issue. I saw TW on the Fallon show, and boy, that guy is buils like a brick.

Is it speculation of who would be the next one?

[Kieran123]

Wow.......so now we wait until he gets a new coach, then wait while he changes his swing with 'reps'. He should be comfortable with his new swing by end of 2015 right?........

[Mr. Desmond]

Tiger in 2013 ... that is a lot of lag

Labeled as 2001 .. if I could slow it down, I believe you will see a difference around the front of the right thigh

[newtogolf]

No shock, the writing seemed to be on the wall.  I like Foley but it seemed like he was focusing more attention on his other pro's though not sure who's choice that was.

I guess Tiger is going for another clean slate for 2015, though I'd be shocked if him and Joe split unless Joe wants to work with someone else.

I guess the next question is, does Tiger go back to Butch or does he go it alone?

[zipazoid]

You can also look at it from Foley's POV. He's got a client who's basically on the shelf for a few months. His time is valuable too.