Tour News

Lee Westwood, instructor Sean Foley part ways

Published

12 years ago

Feb 13, 2014

When he arrived at Riviera Country Club for the Northern Trust Open earlier this week, Lee Westwood did so as a man without a teacher. The tour veteran confirmed that he and instructor Sean Foley terminated their teacher/student relationship at the end of last year.

The pair had been working together since last year’s Open Championship, where Westwood finished third. After that point, however, Westwood didn’t finish inside the top 25 of any tournament on the PGA Tour for the remainder of the 2013 season.

Westwood began the 2014 wraparound season with three consecutive made cuts in November and December, including a tie for third at the Franklin Templeton Shootout. He’s fared much worse once the “Serious Season” began, however, finishing tied for 47th at the Farmers Insurance Open and missing the cut at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

“I just wanted to work on swing positions and stuff like that a bit more,” Westwood told Golfweek. “I didn’t feel like Sean coached like that, so it didn’t really fit what I wanted to do.”

Much is embedded in Westwood’s statement. Without placing blame on either party, given Foley’s methodology and Westwood’s apparent learnings style, it’s clear why the two were ill-suited to work together. But a decline in Westwood’s game occurred long before he decided to work with Foley.

The 40-year-old famously took the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Rankings from Tiger Woods in October 2010, and was ranked as high as No. 8 in the OWGR as recently as February 2013. He’s currently ranked No. 33 in the OWGR.

On the bright side for Foley, his stable still includes Tiger Woods, Justin Rose and Hunter Mahan. He’s also freed up a roster spot for the top golfers who seem to be lining up to work with him. Last year, Foley turned down a chance to coach Luke Donald due to time constraints, which resulted in Donald decision to work with instructor Chuck Cook, who also coaches Jason Dufner and Keegan Bradley.

Westwood, for his part, had worked with Pete Cowen up until the 2012 PGA Championship where the golfer missed the cut. But his rank of 168th in the PGA Tour’s Strokes-Gained putting statistic implies that he might be better off searching for a putting guru than a swing coach.

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Ben Alberstadt

Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

23 Comments

Joe

Feb 18, 2014 at 8:42 pm

The fact that Lee fought his way back from the brink tells me all I need to know about his character. I give him tons of credit for that. I have seen interviews with Foley, and to me, he comes across as flakey. I don’t appreciate guys that act like they are thinking on a different level from everyone else.

Reply Report comment
Pooch

Feb 16, 2014 at 5:10 pm

I think Lee Westwood is still one of the great golfers we have.If he could find a great short game teacher even Dave Pelz maybe he could close out the big tournaments he has missed.
I don’t like what Foley has done to Tigers swing.I watched Tiger on the tee box and he looked so stiff and mechanical. The fluidity he once had is gone.I still think Foley’s swing puts a lot of pressure on Tiger’s knee.
I don’t think Butch teaches a system but teaches the game of golf.
I don’t want to see Tiger go back to any of his former teachers but take it upon himself to fix the problems and just swing the club like he used to.

Reply Report comment
- Jack Nash
  
  Feb 17, 2014 at 12:41 pm
  
  Tiger Went to Foley because of his coaching success yes, but mostly because his former teachers although successfull couldn’t help him with his bad knee. Foley’s technique allows Tiger to swing pain free. Unfortunately swing like he did for over 30 years it has taken its toll. Also when you have habits engrained over that period of time they’re a lot harder to break. Harmon and Haney did little other than be around for all his Majors. They got their pound of flesh. I think Tigers looking to a healthy future and an ongoing attack on Jacks record.
  
  Reply Report comment
cgasucks

Feb 16, 2014 at 8:42 am

I must be living under a rock…I didn’t know Westy was working with Foley in the first place!

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Matthew Carter

Feb 15, 2014 at 10:29 pm

To each his own.
Good luck Lee!

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Square

Feb 14, 2014 at 8:17 pm

One of my favorites. I root for him when he’s in the majors. Seems like a super nice person with a funny wit. Go get one with it Lee!

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tom stickney

Feb 14, 2014 at 12:44 pm

Hope Lee finds his way; love to see him win a major or two…sometimes coaches and players don’t mesh. Not anyone’s fault- it just didn’t work

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yo!

Feb 14, 2014 at 12:27 pm

There are as many opinions about the golf swing as there are golfers. It comes down to people believing what they want to believe. Then they look to find someone who believe likewise.

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pk20152

Feb 14, 2014 at 6:27 am

Lee can change clubs, balls, instructors, fitness trainers, whatever… he just doesn’t have it between the ears to win a major. He’s this generations Colin Montgomerie

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David Dorans

Feb 14, 2014 at 3:18 am

I can assure everyone that he will not be returning to Pete Cowens stable either. There was a very sour ending to that relationship in the way Lee went about his business. Let’s just say that when he back tracked to Pete, asked for his help, and offered big money he got a not to polite two word answer! So as a result, look for him to be joining Mike Walker, who worked alongside Pete for many years……….Heard it here first………

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Progolfer

Feb 13, 2014 at 7:42 pm

Good move Westy. As a professional golfer myself, I can’t understand how guys work with Sean Foley or any instructor that makes guys fit a mold or theory based on preference (another is Hank Haney). Instructors like Butch Harmon– who like to make very small changes and maintain an individual’s general motion– always seem the best to me. If you’re working on stuff that’s going to make you worse for a long time, it’s usually not the best way to go…

Reply Report comment
- Setter02
  
  Feb 13, 2014 at 9:20 pm
  
  So Woods, Mahan, Rose have cookie cutter swings… EVERY golf coach/instructor has a theory, EVERY ONE… And no professional golfer in the world or history of the game can make quick changes to something that has been beaten into creating who and what they are as a player currently.
  
  This is more grasping at straws as his clock is ticking. He needs to make putts, stats don’t lie, especially when the sample size is so great.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Kammer
    
    Feb 13, 2014 at 10:54 pm
    
    wow, you are the king/queen of blanket statements.
    
    BUTCH’S theory is to work with the golfer’s natural MOTION.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Progolfer
      
      Feb 14, 2014 at 12:06 am
      
      Setter02,
      
      I just don’t see the point of messing too much with what has gotten a player to a high level, otherwise that player becomes too technical and no longer plays golf, but thinks golf. Westwood’s strength was ball-striking and as soon as he joined Foley, he started to miss more. Westwood FINALLY got the putter working (based on a simple tip from Ian Baker-Finch telling him to relax over the ball, not a technical tip) at the British Open last year and if he didn’t start working with Foley at that point, he would’ve dominated that event and won his first major. He started thinking about his swing, and under pressure he crumbled and wasn’t his usual self.
      
      You’re absolutely right that every instructor has a theory, but I don’t think an instructor should force the player to just focus on hitting “perfect” positions. Too much of today’s instruction is focused on making perfect swings and not on the art of hitting shots. The players that last the longest and PLAY the best had very unique swings– i.e. Trevino, Couples, Jones, Nicklaus, and Palmer to name a few– and owned their own swings. Every human being has a different physiology and anatomy and it’s illogical to make one size fit all.
      
      Golf has gotten far too technical and has moved away from poetry and art to science and making everybody a robot.
      
      Kammer,
      
      You nailed it on the head.
      
      Reply Report comment
      - Christian
        
        Feb 14, 2014 at 2:49 am
        
        That’s a funny comment, esp. the part about Foley wanting his players to hit certain positions. Neverless from above i read that Westwood said
        
        “I just wanted to work on swing positions and stuff like that a bit more,” Westwood told Golfweek. “I didn’t feel like Sean coached like that, …”
        
        Reply Report comment
      - Progolfer
        
        Feb 14, 2014 at 6:48 pm
        
        Christian, I think you were overlooking my point.
        
        I was speaking in generalities when I wrote, “… I don’t think an instructor should force the player to just focus on hitting ‘perfect’ positions.” Lee Westwood obviously wants to work more on swing positions (as he said), but if you know more about Foley (which I’m assuming readers do) you will find that he basically teaches Stack & Tilt– which is more geared towards maintaining certain spine angles and body angles throughout the swing– which I was referring to when I wrote, “Every human being has a different physiology and anatomy and it’s illogical to make one size fit all.” Westwood just wants to work on simple club positions, not spine angles and body positions and setup angles.
        
        I hope this helps clarify my comments.
        
        Reply Report comment
- Drew
  
  Feb 14, 2014 at 4:46 am
  
  Agree about Foley, but don’t lump Haney into that category. I actually think Tiger’s best swing was with Haney circa 06, 07. Tiger lipped out a put for a 62 in a major in 07. His swing was beautiful then. Heck, it was pretty darn solid in 2009, too. He won six majors with Haney.
  
  Haney doesn’t teach a method like Foley. Haney, like Leadbetter and Butch, learned all their stuff from John Jacobs, which is allowing ball flight dictate what to fix. And swinging on plane. Haney’s first instruction book is one of the best ones a golfer can own, and I own about all of them.
  
  Foley teaches a single-plane, robotic, driving range, S&T swing that mangles the wedge game. His swing may work for some, but it’s way too driving range oriented for me, and doesn’t transfer well to the course, where you have to hit from uneven lies, from the rough, and hit pitch shots.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Jack Nash
  
  Feb 17, 2014 at 12:44 pm
  
  Haney and Harmon did nothing to take the pressure off Tigers left knee. They didnt know how. That’s why Tiger went to Foley. His is more than a technical style. There’s also a philisophical style.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Joe
    
    Feb 18, 2014 at 8:37 pm
    
    I’ve heard that for a couple of years now, but still cannot think of another single player that has worked with either Haney or Harman, that has had constant knee issues.
    
    Reply Report comment
Does

Feb 13, 2014 at 6:17 pm

Ben,

top 3 finishes in 5 majors doesn’t mean you are awful at putting. Or are in need of help at all.

Reply Report comment
- Ben Alberstadt
  
  Feb 13, 2014 at 6:59 pm
  
  Would have had a couple wins in majors if not for the putter.
  
  Reply Report comment
Willy

Feb 13, 2014 at 5:02 pm

Good. As a Westwood fan, I wasn’t thrilled he went to Foley. But, he knows best. He’s gotta make a living!

Reply Report comment
RumtumTim

Feb 13, 2014 at 4:19 pm

Love those little digs at the end that you so like to do.

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