Tiger Woods of the U.S. hits from a sand trap on the 12th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville
Tiger Woods of the U.S. hits from a sand trap on the 12th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, August 8, 2014. REUTERS/John Sommers II

Tiger Woods’ former coach Butch Harmon reveals he is just a phone call or text message away from coming to the aid of his former ward. With golf’s biggest name struggling, Harmon has propositioned to help out and offer pointers on how Woods can get back on track but he admits that pride may get in the way of accomplishing that.

"If he wanted, I'd be more than happy to spend a couple of hours and give him my opinion," Harmon told Golf World Digital in an exclusive interview. "I don't think he would ask because it goes against his pride."

Woods, who once sat at the mountaintop of the golfing world, has plummeted to no. 70 in the rankings, his worst since turning professional in 1996. With his recent performances, the prevailing trend that all signs point to a more downward trend has led him to proclaim a self-imposed sabbatical from the green to figure out his game and he offered no definite date of return.

Harmon pinpointed that the main culprit of Woods’ struggles has been his self-confidence and that if it were up to him, Woods would be better off regaining the mojo in the green provided that he is healthy. The mentor who also did advising jobs for Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, parted ways with Woods in 2003 after the latter decided to retain a new coach in Hank Haney. Now, he says that his supporting offer comes from his nature of being a fan of the sport and that he could not bear look at one of the game’s greatest game fall mightily.

Teaming up again with Harmon is logical given that Woods has won eight majors with his former coach. It has been almost seven years since he last took home a major tournament win, the last one dating back to the 2009 U.S. Open.

Nagging back injuries have sidelined Woods during the recent months and have been the main cause of his prior underwhelming performances. After being reported to be finally healthy, the 39-year-old player declared that his recent play is not fit to be fielded into any forthcoming major tournament including the U.S. Open.

For concerns on this story, contact the author at v.hidalgo@ibtimes.com.au.

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