The 152nd Open - Preview Day Two
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Tiger Woods has addressed Colin Montgomerie's recent suggestion that he should consider retirement, and the response was about what one would expect from somebody who has won 15 major championships to somebody who has never won a single one.

A quick refresher: In an interview with the Times, Montgomerie dished on a number of different topics, including Rory McIlroy's failure, the Ryder Cup and ... Woods.

"I hope people remember Tiger as Tiger was, the passion and the charismatic aura around him," Montgomerie said. "There is none of that now. At Pinehurst, he did not seem to enjoy a single shot, and you think, 'What the hell is he doing?' He's coming to Troon and he won't enjoy it there either."

Montgomerie took it one step further.

Woods, 48, has long said he will call it a day when he is no longer competitive, to which Montgomerie says: "Aren't we there? I'd have thought we were past there. There is a time for all sportsmen to say goodbye, but it's very difficult to tell Tiger it's time to go. Obviously, he still feels he can win. We are more realistic."

This is not said with any sort of glee, but a sorrow that a new generation may be seeing him tarnish his legacy. "These guys only know Tiger Woods missing the cut and he's better than that, the best we've ever seen."

Is that a call for retirement? I don't know about that. It's a call for folks to heed the reality that Woods has not completed 72 holes at a major outside of the Masters since the start of 2021. Regardless, Woods' response when he was asked about Montgomerie's comments was humorous. 

Here's the exact question: You heard those comments last week from Colin Montgomerie who said, why is he here, he should retire, there's no point to this. Do you feel that's a bit hurtful and you've earned the right, that you make the decision when you decide?

"Well, as a past champion, I'm exempt until I'm 60," said Woods. "Colin's not. He's not a past champion, so he's not exempt. So he doesn't get the opportunity to make that decision. I do.

You feel that you've earned that, you deserve that?

"So, when I get to his age, I get to still make that decision, where he doesn't," he added.

Woods also said that he will play as long as he can play and feel like he can still win the event.

Montgomerie walked back his comments just a bit on Twitter after the press conference.

It all seemed mostly playful, but it does get at a weird truth in the Woods career arc. He has not really been competitive at the majors since winning the 2019 Masters. Since that win, he has started 13 major championships and failed to complete eight of them. The other five were noncompetitive finishes outside the top 20.

Woods did not play The Open at Royal Troon in 2016 because of injuries. When Justin Leonard won in 1997, Tiger finished T24. In 2004, when Todd Hamilton won, Tiger finished T9.