Harmon Brother: Tiger In Denial About His Yips

Former PGA President Ted Bishop tackles Tiger Woods and his yips in a special to golf.com.

I know the Tiger True Believers are struggling with this concept, but denial is a powerful thing. However, Bishop lays out a couple of thoughts here via Bill Harmon, brother of Tiger’s former coach Butch and respected teacher his ownself: the only way to overcome something as powerful as the yips is to first admit that you have them. And in the "process" of watching a hero to many go through what so many have experienced, Woods has inadvertently helped some.

Bishop quotes Harmon:

“There are very few pros who don’t think that Tiger has the yips around the greens,” Harmon said. “The first step in solving the problem is admitting that you have a problem. That is not a weakness, but a strength.

“I don’t buy all of this release stuff. In the last two events that he has played in he had the two worst cases of yips I’ve ever seen from a Tour pro and this coming from arguably the greatest short-game player ever. I’ve had -- and sometimes still do -- the yips pitching. I know what it is when I see it. It will be interesting to see where he goes with it because as he said, he’s doing it in a public forum.”

Bishop also shares this that he used as a way to overcome the yips with short putts.

I sought the help of another teacher, who recommended that I position the ball logo facing the sky and the number to the left, or forward as a right-handed putter would look down at it. He told me to never take my eyes off the number throughout the stroke to promote acceleration. It took so much concentration to do that, my mind didn’t have room for negative thoughts. It worked, and today I consider putting the strength of my game.

Meanwhile Mark Lamport-Stokes looks at the issues for Woods and talks to folks like Dr. Joe Parent, who doesn't see flinches and therefore won't call this the yips. But he does offer this very vivid picture of what any longtime Tiger admirer sees missing from the pre-shot routine.

Parent, a PGA Tour instructor who is author of the book "Zen Putting: Mastering the Mental Game on the Greens", felt Woods' biggest problem with his chipping was an inability to picture his desired shot.

"He was a master of the short game," said Parent. "He would make these practice swings with such freedom and you could tell all he was doing was tuning his system into the picture he had in mind. And then he walked up and just produced that picture.

"I'm not even sure he knows what picture he's got in mind now."