TIGER Woods has backed fellow major winner Padraig Harrington in his quest to further improve his game.

Ireland’s Harrington has experienced a slump in form this year as he attempts to remodel his swing in a bid to surpass the level of play that has seen him win three of the last seven majors.

That has seen the back-toback Open champion and 2008 US PGA winner slide out of the top ten in the world rankings and miss four of his last five cuts but world number one Woods says the Irishman is right to be making adjustments.

Asked if he thought that players can go too far in changing their swing, Woods replied: ‘‘You’re asking the wrong guy.

‘‘After I won the Masters by 12 I changed my swing. People thought I was crazy for that.

‘‘I said just wait. Just be patient with it. It will come around. And in ’99 and 2000 I won 17 times.’’ Woods, who will defend his US Open title at Bethpage Black this week playing with Harrington and Masters champion Angel Cabrera for the first two rounds, said patience was the key element in the process.

‘‘Sometimes you have to take a step or two back before you can make a giant leap forward,’’ he said.

‘‘And that’s the hard part, sticking through those periods.

And even though you’re making those changes, finding a way to post a number or shoot a score and win a golf tournament, that becomes a lot more difficult.

‘‘Anyone can do it when they’re hot. But to grind it out and suck it up and get it done somehow and turn it around, that could cost you a tournament, a round that keeps you in the tournament, those are testing times.

‘‘Plus everyone’s always asking you about it, too.

‘‘Every round you finish, you complete, someone asks you about your swing changes, is it worth it, blah, blah, blah and you keep getting it all the time until you turn it around.’’