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Woods could coach himself - Haney

Tiger Woods won six major championships and 31 PGA title during his six-year association with Hank Haney © Getty Images

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Tiger Woods' former coach Hank Haney believes his ex-pupil may choose to mentor himself.

Haney announced his decision to end a hugely successful six-year relationship as swing instructor to the 14-time major champion a day after Woods withdrew from the final round of the Players Championship, citing a neck injury.

Since the announcement, Woods has been linked with a number of new coaches, including the likes of David Leadbetter and former coach Butch Harmon - who currently works with Woods' rival Phil Mickelson. Despite the speculation, Haney feels Woods will do what is best for him and that could mean working on his game alone.

"I think Tiger is the most knowledgeable golfer that I've ever known," Haney told ESPN.com's Bob Harig. "I think he's very capable of helping himself. I don't know what he'll do, what direction he'll go, but if he decided to do it himself, he is very capable.

"If he decides to go a different direction and try a different method, if you will, or a different coach, I'm sure he'll be successful with that, too. He's proven he can do that, too."

Woods claimed six major championships and 31 PGA titles during his time under Haney's wing and the swing guru's decision to quit has led many to speculate about a rift between the pair. Haney, however, insists he felt the time had come for the two men to go their separate ways.

"It's been a great opportunity and experience for me," Haney said. "It's just time to move on.

"Don't you always mull a decision such as this? Would you factor everything together? You could factor 100 things into this. I'll say that I'm pleased with how Tiger has done, it's a record I'm proud of. There's a lot of things, and I don't know how you know, I just knew it was time to step aside. There was no one incident that led to anything. The criticism - that's part of the deal.

"Change is exciting to Tiger. Maybe that is something that would be a positive. It's very hard to say. You can go either way with that argument."

This article originally appeared on ESPN.com. To read the full version click here

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