Tiger Woods has been told to ‘stay horizontal’ by doctors in his bid to overcome back problems.

Woods was forced to pull out of the Genesis Open in Los Angeles this week due to persistent back spasms.

The former world number one made his return to golf after 15 months out injured at his tournament in the Bahamas in December.

Now his comeback, which was due to include four tournaments in five weeks, has been dealt another twist with his latest injury.

It is a cruel blow for the 41-year-old, who has had three previous back surgeries in the past three years.

His agent Mark Steinberg insists the spasms are not related to his previous back surgery.

However, he confirmed that Woods has been told not to even walk in an attempt to calm the problem.

Woods has flown from his home in Florida to LA to seek medical assistance.

“He flew out here and got to see one of his doctors,” Steinberg has revealed.

“Based on the work they did the last couple of days, they advised he just stay horizontal. It’s best to listen to the doctors. The ultimate goal is to get out and play.”

Despite his latest setback, Woods is still focused on returning to competitive golf and is not planning on taking a long-term break from golf due to the spasms.

“The goal is to get everything to calm down, have it calm down for a while, continue to get treatment and get to a place where he’s chipping and putting and hitting balls.

“We’re not talking about an extended break.”

Since his back problems began, he has failed to regain any sort of form that had seen him dominate the sport over a decade.

Woods, who turned professional in 1996, has been world number one for the most consecutive weeks and the greatest number of weeks in total.

He has been crowned PGA Player of the Year a record 11 times. Woods has won 14 Major golf championships; only Jack Nicklaus has won more with 18.

With 79 PGA Tour wins and 40 European Tours under his belt, Woods’ legacy will not be tarnished, in spite of his recent troubles.

Woods’ rapid decline over previous years has been a sad sight. In May 2016, he dropped out of the world 500 for the first time in his career.