DORAL, Fla. — Butch Harmon, one of the preeminent swing coaches in golf, will find himself in a fascinating position today during the final round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship on Doral’s Blue Monster.
Harmon coaches the top two players on the leaderboard — Dustin Johnson, who leads the field at 13-under par after shooting a scorching 65 yesterday, and Nick Watney, two shots off the lead and tied for second.
“For me, the ideal scenario is the two of them coming down 18 tied and one of them makes birdie to win,” Harmon said yesterday. “People ask me if I’m nervous. Not really, because it’s out of my hands.”
Harmon, though, believes the tournament is firmly in the hands of Johnson, the lankly, long bomber with limitless talent.
“Quite honestly, I think the only guy that can beat Dustin Johnson [today] is Dustin Johnson, in my opinion,” Harmon said. “I really think he’ll feel very comfortable out there in the last group. He’s a guy that doesn’t get rattled.”
Johnson, of course, did get rattled when he blew a large lead early in the final round of the U.S. Open last year at Pebble Beach. He also had a lapse in judgment when he grounded his club in a bunker at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, costing himself a second major title.
To his credit, Johnson showed resiliency by coming out of those two experiences and winning the BMW Championship shortly after the Whistling Straits fiasco.
“The sky is the limit for Dustin,” Harmon said. “He’s only 26 and he could have won two majors last year.”
Harmon said he had a “heart-to-heart” conversation with Johnson about his commitment to practicing during tournament weeks.
“I told him he’s got to get his priorities straight with his life and his golf,” Harmon said. “He’s a young guy that likes to have a good time. We talked about him committing himself 100 percent.”
Tiger and Phil are nowhere to be found on the leaderboard, but no matter: Today’s final round figures to morph into a wild back-nine shootout with the board littered with the top young players who are all supposed to be poised to challenge the reign Woods and Mickelson have had on the game.
Along with Johnson and Watney in the mix are Luke Donald, 11-under after shooting 66 yesterday; Matt Kuchar, also 11-under following his third-round 68; followed by Rory McIlroy, Hunter Mahan, Francesco Molinari and Adam Scott, all 10-under.
“When you talk about Tiger and Phil they are always going to be in the mix, because they’re great players,” Johnson said. “But there’s a lot of good young players coming up right now that you are going to see at the top of the leaderboard a lot.
“I played well [yesterday], but it’s going to take another good round [tomorrow]. I’m going to have to do that again.”
Harmon, who believes he can, will be watching closely.
Yesterday marked the first time in their careers Woods and Mickelson were paired together for three consecutive days in a tournament.
Woods shot a 2-under-par 70 to stand at 2-under for the tournament. Mickelson shot an even-par 72 and is even overall.
