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Tiger Woods has dismissed talk of imminent retirement and aimed a barbed comment at Colin Montgomerie for suggesting he should quit the game.
The 48-year-old won the last of his 15 majors at the 2019 Masters with his most recent professional victory coming later that year at the Zozo Championship.
But since the 2021 car accident which left Woods fearing his right leg would have to be amputated, the 82-time PGA Tour event winner has played only nine times, making just three cuts.
He missed the cut by two strokes at last month’s US Open and that prompted European Ryder Cup great Montgomerie, 61, to say at the weekend: “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.”
When asked about those comments ahead of the Open at Royal Troon, Woods replied: “Well, as a past champion, I’m exempt until I’m 60. Colin’s not.
“He’s 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.
Well, as a past champion, I'm exempt until I'm 60. Colin's not. He's not a past champion, so he's not exempt— Tiger Woods on Colin Montgomerie
“I’ll play as long as I can play and I feel like I can still win the event.”
Asked if that belief had wavered during his struggles over the last two years Woods replied: “No.”
Following Woods’ press conference Montgomerie posted a response on social media, writing on X: “If Golf Writers want my thoughts on Tiger please ask me direct, rather than taking a quote from an interview out of context. Wishing Tiger an enjoyable and successful week.”
Woods has not come close to reproducing anything near to his best golf in recent years and with driving distances getting longer tournaments favour the biggest hitters in the game.
However, the Open is the one major at which Woods feels, with the right conditions on links courses where accuracy has a premium over distance, he can still realistically be competitive.
“The older you get the less you can carry the golf ball but over here, you can run the golf ball 100 yards if you get the right wind and the right trajectory,” said Woods, who won the Open in 2000, 2005 and 2006.
“I think that’s one of the reasons why you see older champions up there on the board because they’re not forced to have to carry the ball 320 yards any more.“I’ve been training a lot better. We’ve been busting it pretty hard in the gym, which has been good.
“(The) body’s been feeling better to be able to do such things, and it translates on being able to hit the ball better.”
