Sir Nick Faldo has accused golf bosses of being “predictably weak” in their treatment of Tiger Woods and claims the 15-time Major winner’s problems are all “self-inflicted.”

Woods announced he was taking a step back from public life after crashing his car last week and being charged with Driving Under Influence (DUI), which he denies.

It was confirmed Woods will not be at next week’s Masters and the PGA Tour released a statement, saying: “The PGA of America stands in full support of Tiger Woods as he steps away to focus on his health and well-being. During this time, we are keeping Tiger in our thoughts and prayers, with sincere hope for his strength, comfort and recovery.”

But that did not go down well with Faldo, who will be at Augusta as an expert pundit for Sky Sports. The three-time Masters champion, 68, said: “I look at the PGA Tour statement and it was so predictably weak. The Tour will look after him, as they always have done.

“There are two sides to this right now. There’s one side that’s like … let’s care for Tiger. And then there has got to be a responsibility and an accountability side as well. This is a serious thing - a serious issue - that he has done. There has to be some accountability. Forget about golf.

• Tiger Woods body cam footage shows golf legend being searched by cops after car crash

• Eight Tiger Woods alternatives picked for Team USA Ryder Cup captaincy after star withdraws

"We are not meant to be on the streets with two pills in our pocket. The bottom line is that I really think that this is a serious issue and something should be done that is a little bit more serious than waving him off to a tropical island and saying ‘welcome back’ in three or four months or whatever it might be.”

The new PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp has also sent a message of support to 50-year-old Woods. But it is clear Faldo’s sympathy is limited.

He went on: “I feel sorry for Tiger that he is living 24/7 in pain. I asked him that years ago, even before the LA accident (February, 2001). But it has all been self-inflicted.

“I’ve got a feeling that … if he disappears and comes back in a couple of months, everything will carry on as normal. I’m not sure if that is right. In a normal walk of life, there would be some accountability.”

Woods has a catalogue of dangerous car incidents to his name - hitting a fire hydrant in 2009, found asleep at the wheel after an “unexpected reaction” to prescription drugs in 2017, and a near-fatal crash after speeding in 2021. After rolling over his Range Rover near his Jupiter Island home last Friday, a Florida police report stated that Woods was in possession of two hydrocodone pills - an opioid used to treat pain - and that he had admitted taking prescription medication that morning.

Officers also reported he appeared "lethargic and slow" while "sweating profusely" with "extremely dilated" pupils, and that his "normal faculties were impaired". It was announced on Wednesday that Woods had turned down the role of United States Ryder Cup captain next year in Ireland.

Also on Wednesday, a Florida judge approved Woods' request to leave the United States to seek treatment at a comprehensive inpatient treatment facility. Woods' attorney Douglas Duncan said doctors have recommended an "intensive, highly individualised and medically integrated programme" for the golfer, away from the media and public scrutiny.

Watch more live Masters coverage than ever before, exclusively on Sky Sports and NOW from Thursday 9 April.