Tiger Woods is absent from The Open this week after suffering an Achilles rupture in March, but was backed by the crowd to defy Colin Montgomerie’s claims that he should retire
Tiger Woods was supported by the crowd at The Open(Image: Getty Images)
Tiger Woods garnered support from spectators to challenge Colin Montgomerie’s suggestions that he should hang up his clubs at The Open Championship. Although widely considered among golf’s all-time greats, Woods has encountered significant obstacles in recent years stemming from physical setbacks.
The 49-year-old is missing from The Open this week as he recuperates from an Achilles injury he suffered in March. His most recent PGA Tour outing occurred at the major in 2024, staged at Scotland’s Royal Troon Golf Club.
Owing to health concerns, Woods had participated in just four competitions prior to entering the major last year. Still, the gallery rallied behind him as he commenced his opening round, with calls of “prove Monty wrong” echoing as Woods lined up his initial tee shot.
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The spectators were responding to Montgomerie’s remarks regarding Woods’ career prospects ahead of The Open Championship. The 62-year-old indicated that the moment had arrived for Woods to walk away from professional golf.
He told 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?”
Previously, Woods had expressed his plan to retire from golf once he could no longer remain competitive in events. Montgomerie replied by questioning: “Aren’t we there? I’d have thought we were past there.
“There is a time for all sportsmen to say goodbye, but it’s very difficult to tell Tiger it’s time to go. Obviously, he still feels he can win. We are more realistic.”
But when reporters pressed Woods about Montgomerie’s comments, the golf icon fired back at the Scotsman, who has never claimed a major title. The golfing legend responded: “Well, as a past champion, I’m exempt until I’m 60. Colin is not.
Colin Montgomerie looks on
“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.”
Yet despite his bold words, Woods struggled with lackluster rounds of 79 and 77, failing to make the cut in what stands as his final outing at a PGA Tour-sanctioned tournament.
Meanwhile, a close friend of Woods’ has opened up on his relationship with Vanessa Trump after the golf legend went public with the president’s former daughter-in-law earlier this year.
There have been suggestions that the couple could even tie the knot in the near future but it appears that is off the cards for a while yet.
“Cynically, why should she get married? There’s no point of it, and it would just complicate her alimony from Donald [Trump Jr.],’ the friend said. “And Tiger of course paid out a lot in his divorce from Elin [Nordegren], and I don’t think he’s particularly excited to do that again.”
