Hank Haney has branded Tiger Woods’ latest comeback as an “epic failure” following the 14-time major winner’s withdrawal from the Farmers Insurance Open.

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Woods pulled out during Thursday’s opening round on the 12th hole at Torrey Pines citing back problems, the latest in a long line of injury issues to have engulfed the former world No1.

The withdrawal came just under a week after Woods shot a career-worst 82 at the Phoenix Open and his former swing coach Haney believes the 39-year-old needs to go back to the drawing board in terms of modifying his swing. 

“His No1 priority should be making a swing where he doesn’t hurt himself, and I thought that’s what this whole bio-mechanical thing was going to be all about,” Haney told Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio. 

“He was going to make a swing that didn’t hurt him. So this obviously has been an epic failure, when you look at the amount of time that he’s been working and he’s already hurt again.”

Woods’ long-term future in the game remains uncertain with the Masters just over two months away. 

The common-held belief has always been that Woods is desperate to try and top Jack Nicklaus’ major haul of 18 but Haney insists,  during his six years with the American, he never gave that impression.

“He said, ‘If my career ended today, I’d be happy with what I’ve done’,” Haney added. “This thing that the media has drum up, that Tiger’s No1 goal… is to beat Jack Nicklaus’ record… I never got that feeling. Never, never did I get that.”