Colin Montgomerie claimed Tiger Woods should have called it quits at The Open Championship in July as it was the perfect time for the golfing great to bow out.
The Open returned to Woods’s favorite course, St. Andrews, where he had won the event twice, and the golf legend took what is likely his last stroll down the 18th on the Old Course in front of an admiring crowd.
It was only the 46-year-old’s third competitive event this year after making a sensational return at the Masters, just 14 months on from his horrific car crash in 2021, and making the cut at the PGA Championship.
Tiger Woods returned to St. Andrews in what was likely his final event at the iconic course
Colin Montgomerie claimed the legend should have called it quits at The Open in July
However, Montgomerie believes the 150th Open should have not only been Woods’s third event of this year but the final of his career.
Woods’s former rival claimed it was the perfect moment for the 15-time major champion to bring the curtain down on his glittering career.
‘That was the time,’ Montgomerie told golf website Bunkered. ‘Stand on that bridge, start waving, and everyone goes, “So, is that it?” Yeah, it is. It would have been a glorious way to go.
‘The stands were full, the world’s TV cameras – from all continents – were on him, he’s walking up there on his own, tears were in his eyes, obviously, you can’t beat that walk.
Woods’s former rival said it was the perfect moment to bring the curtain down on his career
‘I’ve done it myself. When the stands are full, you cannot beat that walk. … I tell you what, that is a special, special arena. It’s a theatre. That was the time for Tiger to say, “OK, I bow out.”
‘Why go on? Go out at the top,’ Montgomerie added. ‘It’s something that very few can do.’
Woods missed the cut by nine shots at The Open but his walk up the infamous 18th fairway was still an iconic scene.
Woods lifted his cap in acknowledgement of the fans in an emotional scene up the 18th
At the end of his second round, while he did not stop on the famed Swilcan Bridge, he did lift his cap in acknowledgement of the fans and their standing ovation.
He declined to say whether it would be his final appearance at an Open Championship and speaking at the Hero World Challenge, he revealed that he intends to play the majors next year and ‘maybe one or two more’ regular events, his leg permitting.
He was involved in a single-car crash in February 2021, which left him with serious injuries to his right leg and left doctors thinking it might have to be amputated, according to Woods.
He was in a single-car crash in February 2021, which left him with serious injuries to his leg
He made the cut at both the Masters and the PGA Championship but was forced to withdraw from the latter after the third round as he struggled with his injuries.
Montgomerie, who finished second to Woods at the 2005 Open, claimed he can’t see the icon, who has 82 PGA tour wins to his name, ever claiming another victory again.
‘I don’t see him doing that [winning again],’ Montgomerie said. ‘People will say, “Oh come on, Monty”. Listen, yes, he’s great. But Tiger doesn’t have to now just get back to the standard he was performing at then. He has to improve it.
The 15-time major winner made his sensational return and made the cut at the Masters in April
‘The standard is improving all the time, and there’s not one or two guys that can beat him now. There’s 22 guys that can beat him. So, it’s Tiger trying to get not back to where he was but to get to a standard he’s never been at before and I don’t think that’s possible.
‘I can’t see that happening. I’d love it to happen because it’s great for the game. I would love him to win. But I just can’t see it happening.’
Woods’ last win came at the 2019 Zozo Championship, where he tied Sam Snead’s record for all-time PGA Tour wins of 82.
He has repeatedly insisted that he will not enter tournaments if he doesn’t believe he has a chance of winning.
Woods’ last win came at the 2019 Zozo Championship, where he tied record for PGA Tour wins
Woods was also slated to play in the Hero World Challenge, an event which he hosted in the Bahamas at the beginning of the month, but withdrew the Monday before, citing plantar fasciitis.
He did, however, play alongside Rory McIlroy on Saturday as they took on Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in The Match VII, before suffering a 3&2 loss.
He is also set to tee it up at the PNC Championship this weekend with his son Charlie, 13, in their third appearance at the event.
Woods was approved to use a golf cart at both The Match and the PNC Championship.