TRON, Scotland (Reuters) – European Ryder Cup legend Colin Montgomerie has called on Tiger Woods to retire as he prepares to play in the 23rd British Open this week.
Montgomerie, who grew up playing at Royal Troon, where the 152nd edition of the Open Championship is being held, told The Times of London that the three-time Claret Jug winner should retire based on what he saw last month at the US Open at Pinehurst.
“I hope people remember Tiger for who he was, the passion and the charisma around him,” Montgomery He told The Times“There’s none of that now. At Pinehurst he didn’t seem to enjoy a shot, and I was thinking, ‘What the hell is he doing?’ He’s coming to Troon and he’s not going to enjoy playing there either.”
Woods has played in just five tournaments since undergoing ankle surgery following last year’s Masters. This year, he withdrew in the second round of the Genesis Championship, qualified for his 24th consecutive Masters before finishing 60th, and then failed to qualify at the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open.
Woods still has back problems that preceded his 2019 Masters win, as well as injuries to his right leg sustained in a car accident in 2021.
Montgomery, 61, is a full-time PGA Tour Champions player and had made just $130,000 in 11 events before this week’s Senior Players Championship. In 1997, he faced a 21-year-old Woods in the third round at Augusta National when he shot a 65 on Saturday to take a nine-stroke lead on his way to winning the first of his 15 major titles.
The Scot never won a major and finished second to Woods at the Old Course at St Andrews in 2005. He also lost qualifying to Ernie Els at the 1994 U.S. Open and to Steve Elkington at the 1995 PGA Championship.
After Woods played in the 2022 St. Andrews Open, Montgomerie felt he should have gone.
“It was the right time,” Montgomery told The Times after Woods failed to qualify. “He stood on the bridge and started waving, and everyone said, ‘Is it over?’ Yes, it was over. It would have been a glorious way to go. The stands were packed, the world’s television cameras — from every continent — were watching him, and he was walking there by himself, and of course he had tears in his eyes… You can’t beat that walk.”
Now 48, Woods has won 15 major championships and the Open Championship at St. Andrews twice (2002 and 2005) and Royal Liverpool (2006).
Woods insists he only plays if he believes he can win. He has hinted that he will play on the Champions Tour when he turns 50 in less than two years. As a former winner, he is exempt from the Open until age 60, as well as the Masters and PGA Championships for life. He has been granted a special exemption to play in this year’s U.S. Open.
“Aren’t we there? I would have thought we were there.” past “There’s a time for all athletes to say goodbye, but it’s very hard to say to Tiger that it’s time to go,” Montgomery said of Woods’ ability to win. “Obviously he still feels he can win. We’re more realistic.”
