Cink's changes for 2011 include new coach after many years with Harmon

Among the changes for Stewart Cink this year was leaving Butch Harmon.

Cink had gone to Pat O’Brien for his putting, and now uses the Dallas-based O’Brien as his only coach. Cink said the main reason for leaving Harmon was scheduling.

“If you look at all of Butch’s players, I was the one who was the most tied up with stuff,” said Cink, who lives north of Atlanta. He said he wasn’t willing to give up his family time by taking trips to Las Vegas.

Harmon also works with Phil Mickelson (San Diego), Nick Watney and Natalie Gulbis (Las Vegas), and Dustin Johnson, who lives in South Carolina but makes frequent trips to Las Vegas.

Cink said he was energized being around O’Brien, describing his philosophy as “new school” compared with Harmon.

“But I love Butch,” Cink said. “We’re good friends.”

Harmon keeps a limited stable of clients these days and did not say if he would add one now that Cink has departed.