It was suggested by Colin Montgomerie that Tiger Woods should call time on his playing career ahead of The Open, and one fan at Royal Troon made their feelings known on the matter
“Prove Monty wrong!” was the cry on the first tee at Royal Troon as Tiger Woods got his first round of The Open Championship underway on Thursday.
Woods is making just his fifth start of the year this week, as the 82-time PGA Tour champion continues to play a part-time schedule amid struggles over his fitness. His injury setbacks have unsurprisingly hampered his game in recent years, and heading into this week’s event his future was questioned.
Woods’ former rival in Colin Montgomerie suggested it could well be time for the 15-time major winner to call time on his playing days, telling The Times: “I hope people remember Tiger as Tiger was, the passion and the charismatic aura around him.
“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?’.” Questions Woods’ previous claims that he would only retire when he was no longer competitive, Montgomerie added: “Aren’t we there? I’d have thought we were past there.
Highlighting the fact that he was exempt to play this week as a past champion – an honour Montgomerie does not have – Woods said: “Well, as a past champion, I’m exempt until I’m 60. Colin is not. He is not a past champion, so he’s not exempt. So he doesn’t get the opportunity to make that decision.
“I do. So when I get to his age, I get to still make that decision, where he doesn’t.” Woods also received the banking of his PGA Tour pal Rickie Fowler on Tuesday, who believes the three-time Open champion still has lots to offer. “He still has plenty of good golf in him,” he told Mirror Sport.
“The game is better when we have him around… “I love being able to have Tiger [here]. He has been trying to continue to make sure he is ready to go, playing the majors and then hopefully a few other events on top of that… I would love to see him continue to stay healthy so he can play a select group of events throughout the year.”
