Tiger Woods slams Colin Montgomery after retirement: ‘He’s not a former champion’
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Tiger Woods doesn’t take anyone’s advice and he’s certainly not going to start when it comes to the topic of his retirement.
Over the weekend, Hall of Fame golf professional Colin Montgomery urged Woods to make it a career, adding that Woods “didn’t seem to enjoy a single shot” at the U.S. Open. Tiger Woods before the 152nd Open Tournament at Royal Troon in Troon, Scotland, on July 15, 2024. (Kevin S. Cox/Getty Images)
“Aren’t we there?” I thought we were past that,” Montgomery told The Times of London. “Every athlete has a time to say goodbye, but it’s very difficult to tell Tiger it’s time to say goodbye.
“Obviously he still feels he can win. We’re more realistic. »
When the issue was raised at a Tuesday press conference ahead of this week’s British Open, Woods fired back, taking a not-so-subtle dig at Montgomerie’s record in majors.
“As a former champion, I’m exempt until I’m 60. Colin is not so -he is not the last champion, so he has not been released. Therefore, he has no such opportunity to make this decision. I do.”
Tiger Woods spoke at a press conference ahead of the 152nd British Open, which will be held in Troon, Scotland, on July 16, 2024. (Rob Casey/The Social Media Group via Getty Images)
The remark drew laughter from many reporters. Montgomery, 61, is a 31-time European Tour winner but has never won a major. He had several top-2 finishes at the US Open and finished second at the 1995 PGA Championship and second at the 2005 British Open. By comparison, Woods has won 15 major championships, including three at the British Open, his last of which was in 2006.
But Woods’ health has been a topic of discussion for years. This year he will play in all four Grand Slam tournaments for the first time since 2019. He set a Masters record with 24 consecutive starts at Augusta National. And then he left this weekend for the PGA Championship and the US Open.
