Tiger Woods has delivered a devastating takedown of Colin Montgomerie after the Scot suggested the 15-time major champion should retire. Woods arrives at Royal Troon for the 152nd Open Championship amid speculation it could be his last.
The injury-plagued 48-year-old finished 60th at the Masters before missing the cut at the USPGA Championship and US Open. Montgomerie, who has never won a major, used an interview over the weekend to suggest that Woods should end his decorated career. On Tuesday, Woods fired back.
“Well, if a past [Open] champion, I’m exempt until I’m 60,” Woods said. “Colin isn’t. He’s not a former champion, so he’s not exempt. So he doesn’t get to make that decision. I do.”
Asked if he believes he deserves the right to determine his own future as a player, Woods again referred to Montgomerie. “When I get to his age, I still get to make that decision, whereas he doesn’t,” he said. “I’ll play as long as I can play and I feel like I can still win the event.” There was a resounding “no” when asked if his faith has wavered in turbulent times.
News of the Woods broadside quickly reached Montgomerie. “If golf journalists want my thoughts on Tiger, ask me directly, rather than taking an interview quote out of context,” he said on social media. “I wish Tiger an enjoyable and successful week.”
That was as tough as Woods has been in a while. He was more vocal on the subject of the Ryder Cup captaincy, which he skipped after months of negotiations with the PGA of America. Keegan Bradley, 38, was unveiled as the shock choice to lead the U.S. at Bethpage next September after Woods decided the role wasn’t for him. Woods is likely to be captain at Adare Manor in 2027. For now, he’s embroiled in negotiations that may or may not result in the PGA Tour forming an alliance with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.
“It was really hard to make a decision,” Woods said. “My time was so busy with the Tour and what we’re trying to accomplish. I’m on so many different subcommittees that it just takes up so much time in the day. I’m always in conversation.
“I told Seth [Waugh, the PGA of America’s chief executive] that I just didn’t feel like I could do the job right. I couldn’t devote the time to it. I barely had enough time to do what I’m doing now. And add the TGL to that [a tech-infused golf league] next year, and the Ryder Cup. When you add all that together and then with our negotiations with the PIF, and all at the same time at exactly the same time, there are only so many hours in the day.
“I just didn’t feel like I would do justice to the captaincy and the players of Team USA if I was the captain with everything I had to do.
“Keegan is going to be a great leader. He’s very passionate about what he does. He’s very passionate about the event. This is probably going to be a year of change for us in terms of captaincies, whether it’s the captain himself or his vice-captains. This is the natural progression, which is what we’ve been looking forward to.” Woods has not been asked to serve as Bradley’s vice-captain.
One indication that stories of Woods’ demise may be premature came in the context of the PGA Tour’s lucrative series of signature events. Beginning in 2025, Woods will have a lifetime exemption from these events. That seems like a pointless exercise if he has no intention of playing.
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“I told them if I got that exemption, I wouldn’t take the last player’s spot,” Woods said. “Let’s say hypothetically there are 72 players in the field for each of the signature events. If I want to play, I’ll be the 73rd player. There’ll be an odd man out and a twosome out or something like that.
“I’m not going to take someone else’s spot. While it’s nice of them to do that and ask me to play more and have that opportunity to play, these guys have earned their spot. But if I can somehow get in, that would be great.”
Woods revealed he had reached out to Rory McIlroy following the Northern Irishman’s painful implosion at Pinehurst last month. McIlroy surrendered the US Open to Bryson DeChambeau after losing three strokes in the last four holes. “I just sent him a nice message, that’s it,” Woods said. “I waited a week before I sent it. I wanted to let it calm down. I know he was besieged by a lot of different things.
“It was just, ‘I’m your friend. I know this is a tough time.’ We’ve all been through it as champions. We all lose. Unfortunately, it just happened, and the raw emotion of it, it’s still there, and it’s going to be there for a while, I’m sure. The sooner he can get back on a horse and compete, like he did last week, the better off he’ll be.”
McIlroy later explained that he had changed his number and therefore did not receive Woods’ sentiment. Unlike at Montgomerie, this was a message that did not get through.