After biting his tongue for almost two years since Tiger Woods canned him, swing coach Butch Harmon finally took a public verbal swipe at his old boss last week.

“I have no desire to go back to the same situation where I spend all my time at tournaments with Tiger Woods,” Harmon told Golfweek magazine. “If he wants to come here (Las Vegas), that’s fine. I sat on that hot seat for 10 years, and now someone else can sit in it.”

During an incredible run between 1997 and 2002, Woods and Harmon climbed to the pinnacle of golf together, student and teacher, each celebrated and unrivaled in their respective worlds. At tournaments, when they weren’t working intensely together on the far end of the range, they were laughing and joking together.

When Woods dumped Harmon as coach two years ago, he said he knew his swing well enough to fix any problems. The results suggest otherwise. Post-Harmon, Woods has not only gone 0-for-7 in the majors championships he once owned, he hasn’t seriously contended, as his statistics for driving accuracy and greens-in-regulation have plummeted.

Yet, on the subject of going back to Harmon, Woods, who is as stubborn as he is determined, has grown snippy. No, not gonna happen. End of story. Stop asking.

Until now, the jilted Harmon, who is not without his own ego, has said little, resisting the temptation to gloat. His oft-repeated comment: “Tiger’s got my phone number.”

Now, with the chill noticeable and maybe permanent between the two, Harmon seems to think he’s got nothing to lose by commenting on Woods’ semi-slump and his swing woes. “If it was me, I’d break out films of 2000,” Harmon told Golfweek, referring to Woods’ then picture-perfect sawing.

For Woods watchers, the most baffling question is: What’s the real truth behind why he froze out Harmon?

Those who know them both believe that Woods, 28, who is something of a loner and introvert, grew weary of the 60-year-old Harmon, an extrovert who likes to hold court. They say Woods may have come to resent the credit Harmon received.