Tiger Woods gave Colin Montgomerie a brutal beating after the Scot told him it was time to retire.
Montgomerie, who rose to second in the world but never won a major, lamented Woods’ insistence on continuing to play beyond his 48th birthday.
Woods, a three-time Open Championship winner, is among the entrants at Royal Troon this week. He missed the cut at last month’s US Open and admitted afterwards that “this may or may not be” his final appearance.
“At Pinehurst he didn’t seem to enjoy a single shot and you think, ‘What the hell is he doing?’ He comes to Troon and he won’t enjoy it there either,” Montgomerie said. The times.
“I hope people remember Tiger as he was, with his passion and his charismatic aura,” the 61-year-old added. “There’s none of that anymore.”
Tiger Woods gave a savage response after Colin Montgomerie suggested he should retire
Montgomerie lamented Woods’ insistence on continuing to play after his 48th birthday
But Woods responded with a brutal reminder of Montgomerie’s failure to ever lift the Claret Jug.
Asked about the Scot’s comments, he said: ‘As a former champion, I’m exempt until I’m 60. Colin, no.
“He’s not a past champion, so he’s not exempt. So he doesn’t have the opportunity to make that decision. I do.
“So when he gets to his age, I’ll be the one making that decision and not him.”
Montgomerie finished second in five major championships without winning any, including the 2005 Open, when Woods beat him by five strokes.
The American has long maintained that he will retire when he no longer feels he can compete with the best players.
“Aren’t we there yet? I thought we were past that stage,” Montgomerie added of the American, who has completed four rounds at just one major tournament since 2022.
The 15-time major winner is preparing to play in the Open Championship at Royal Troon
“It’s very difficult to tell Tiger it’s time to go… he still feels he can win,” Montgomerie said.
“Every athlete has a moment to say goodbye, but it’s very difficult to tell Tiger it’s time to go. Obviously, he still feels like he can win. We’re more realistic.”
On the current generation, Montgomerie continued: “These guys only know Tiger Woods missing the cut and he’s better than that, the best we’ve ever seen.”
Montgomerie won 31 times on the DP World Tour and finished runner-up at the 1995 PGA Championship and the US Open in 1994, 1997 and 2006.
His best result at the Masters came in 1998, when he finished tied for eighth.
