PGA Tour, Houston Open to honor Butch Harmon

By Brian Hurlburt Special to Las Vegas Review-Journal

5 years ago

Golf instructor Butch Harmon, middle, talks with Jimmy Walker, left, and Rickie Fowler on the 1 ... — Golf instructor Butch Harmon, middle, talks with Jimmy Walker, left, and Rickie Fowler on the 18th hole during a practice round for the U.S. Open golf tournament at Chambers Bay on Tuesday, June 16, 2015 in University Place, Wash. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

Natalie Gulbis, who hosted her annual charity tournament at Spanish Trail on Tuesday to benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada, has worked with swing coach Butch Harmon for 17 years and also considers him a mentor. Photo by Brian Hurlburt.

Last week, representatives of the PGA Tour, Houston Open and the Houston Astros Golf Foundation announced that the tournament will be known this year as the Houston Open honoring Henderson’s Butch Harmon.

The tournament is Oct. 10-13 at Golf Club of Houston. Harmon operates his school at Rio Secco.

“Butch has been in golf a long time. He is tied to Houston and has been the number one golf instructor for years,” said Astros owner and chairman Jim Crane. “To put his name on the tournament gives us another reason to have a successful tournament and bring us one of the best tournaments on the Tour, which is our goal.”

Harmon was director of golf at Houston’s Lochinvar Golf Club in the 1990s and his father, Claude, and brothers, Bill and Dick, taught at River Oaks Country Club.

Harmon has been ranked the top golf instructor by Golf Digest in a poll of his peers for the past 16 years. Harmon retired from traveling to PGA Tour events to teach his players earlier this year, but continues to instruct at his school.

Harmon also operates a school at Crane’s Floridian Club in Palm City, Florida, and the Astros Golf Foundation was key in creating the honor. Brady Exber, a nine-time Southern Nevada Golf Association player of the year, is a part-owner of the Astros and a friend of Harmon.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to help this city and help this tournament,” Harmon said. “Houston means a lot to me. It is a great golf community and always has been.

”Having the Astros get involved is the greatest thing that could happen to this tournament. What Jim Crane has done with baseball in this city is incredible and I am excited to work with him, Giles and the Astros to do the same for the Houston golf community and make the Houston Open the greatest tournament on the Tour.”

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The golf notebook appears Wednesdays. Freelance writer Brian Hurlburt is a two-time author who has covered golf in Las Vegas for more than two decades. He can be reached at bhurlburt5@gmail.com or @LVGolfInsider.