Tiger Woods' comeback has suffered a major setback after withdrawing from the Dubai Desert Classic due to injury.

Woods cited a "bad back" as the reason for withdrawal. He did not begin his second round at the tournament, and was due to tee off a 8:35am Irish time, with Masters champion Danny Willett and his Ryder Cup teammate Matthew Fitzpatrick.

The 14-time major winner, suffered in a poor opening round. He shot a 77 on Thursday and failed to make a birdie. He was lying near the foot of the leaderboard, 12 shots behind the first round leader Sergio Garcia.

Tiger Woods has withdrawn from the #DDC17. Further news to follow. pic.twitter.com/9ppKEJcrbZ

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) February 3, 2017

Woods clearly looked in pain during Thursday's opening round, visibly wincing in pain after many tee-shots.

It's only his third tournament since returning from injury after more than a year away from the game. He missed the cut last weekend in Torrey Pines in California, and is due to play in the Genesis Open and Honda Classic later this month.

The latest setback will cast doubt over the 41-year-old's long-term future in the game