Tiger Woods should have retired at Open Championship, says Colin Montgomerie: 'That was the time'

Tiger Woods intends to play on 2023 despite still struggling with the leg injury from a car crash in 2021. He missed the cut at the Open Championship at St Andrews earlier in the summer and Colin Montgomerie feels that was the perfect time for the 15-time major winner to bow out of the sport as he feels there is no chance of Woods adding to his career tally of wins.

Colin Montgomerie has suggested Tiger Woods missed a trick by not retiring at the Open Championship in the summer, as he feels the 15-time major winner has no chance of adding to his 82 PGA Tour wins.

Woods suffered serious injuries to his right leg in a car crash in 2021, and defied medical opinion to return to action in 2022.

He played in three of the four majors - the Masters, US PGA Championship and Open Championship - with his results getting progressively worse in each.

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Woods missed the cut at the Open, and was given a huge ovation when crossing the Swilcan Bridge and walking up the 18th fairway at St Andrews.

Many greats of the game have used that walk at the home of golf as their farewell to the sport, but Woods said he had no plans to retire and would play on in 2023 - albeit with a reduced schedule.

Montgomerie feels it was a mistake not to go out at the sport’s most famous venue.

“That was the time,” Montgomerie said on the Bunkered Podcast about when Woods should retire. “Stand on that bridge, start waving, and everyone goes, ‘So, is that it?’ 'Yeah, it is.' It would have been a glorious way to go. The stands were full, the world’s TV cameras – from all continents – were on him, he’s walking up there on his own, tears were in his eyes, obviously, you can’t beat that walk.

“I’ve done it myself. When the stands are full, you cannot beat that walk. I tell you what, that is a special, special arena. It’s a theatre. That was the time for Tiger to say, ‘OK, I bow out. Why go on? Go out at the top. It’s something that very few can do.”

‘The goal is to play the major championships and one or two more’ - Tiger

Video credit: SNTV

One of Woods’ career targets has been Jack Nicklaus’ 18 major wins, but that is almost certainly beyond him given his physical issues. A realistic goal, should everything align, is to add to his 82 victories on the PGA Tour to take him out of a tie with Sam Snead and into first place on his own.

Montgomerie feels that won’t happen, as the competition is too good.

“I don’t see him doing that,” eight-time European Tour Order of Merit winner Montgomerie said. “People will say, ‘Oh, come on, Monty.’ Listen, yes, he’s great. But Tiger doesn’t have to now just get back to the standard he was performing at then. He has to improve it.

"The standard is improving all the time, and there’s not one or two guys that can beat him now. There’s 22 guys that can beat him.

“So, it’s Tiger trying to get not back to where he was but to get to a standard he’s never been at before and I don’t think that’s possible. I can’t see that happening. I’d love it to happen because it’s great for the game. I would love him to win. But I just can’t see it happening.”

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