Tiger Woods and Colin Montgomerie in Open war of words: ‘I’m a past champion, he’s not’

Tiger Woods rounded on Colin Montgomerie on Tuesday after the Scot declared that he should retire, with the 15-time major-winner pointing out that, unlike the European Ryder Cup great, he is a past Open champion and has an exemption to this week’s championship.

It was actually a moot point, as Montgomerie is 61 and even former winners are only invited until they turn 60. Yet Woods’s savage put-down of the Scot – who won so many titles, but pointedly no majors – still represented the 48-year-old’s defiance as he tries to ring one last piece of glory out of his fading career.

When asked about the comments made by Montgomerie in a recent interview, 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.”

Montgomerie later went to social media to post criticism of golf writers, complaining that his words had been “taken out context”, yet it is hard to understand how these quotes could be misinterpreted.

“I hope people remember Tiger as Tiger was, the passion and the charismatic aura around him,” Montgomerie said. “There is none of that now. At Pinehurst [at last month’s US Open] he did not seem to enjoy a single shot and you think, ‘What the hell is he doing?’ He’s coming to Troon and he won’t enjoy it there either.”

Woods has always said he would only call it quits when he believes he cannot win and repeated this mantra on Tuesday. “Aren’t we there?” Montgomerie had added. “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.”

Despite being under the same management group for decades, Woods and Montgomerie were not bosom buddies. Indeed, the enmity began even before the pair played together in the third round of the 1997 Masters. Woods was three clear at the top of the leaderboard at that stage, but before their tee-time, Montgomerie speculated that the 21-year-old’s lack of experience could be a factor.

Woods proceeded to shoot a 65 to Montgomerie’s 74 and when asked if he took satisfaction in that nine-shot dusting considering his playing partner’s remarks, the young man broke into a huge smile and said: “Yes – big time.”

The Scot never did win an individual tournament in which Woods was also playing, but had his number in the Ryder Cup, bettering the icon 3-2 in their showdowns.

Montgomerie is, of course, from Troon and will be at his home layout from Friday onwards, ironically as an ambassador of the sponsor which arranged the offending article. It is a delicious thought, but it is doubtful that their paths will cross.

In fairness, Montgomerie only ventured what a lot of people are thinking and, yes, writing. Since the car crash that almost cost him his right leg three years ago, Woods has not even looked a pale shadow of the comeback hero who prevailed at the 2019 Masters, let alone the prolific victor of yesteryear. As his long list of injuries continues to blight his ability to practise, Woods has only played nine competitive rounds in 2024  missing the cut at both the US PGA Championship and the US Open. He has indicated that this will be his final event of the season.

But Woods insists the fire still burns and at a links where he has not played for 20 years – he missed the 2016 Open after yet more back surgery – he feels he has a chance. “I’ll play as long as I can play and I feel like I can still win the event,” he said. “One of the reasons why you see older champions up there on the board [at links courses] is because they’re not forced to have to carry the ball 320 yards. Here, you can burn it on the ground with a one-iron, two-iron, three-wood, whatever, even drivers, and just flight it and get a bunch of run.”

These were positive statements, but the reality is, the world No 874 has not made the weekend at an Open for six years.

Woods was also one of the sporting icons who texted Rory McIlroy in the wake of his US Open meltdown last month when two missed short putts on the last three holes handed victory to Bryson DeChambeau. But the fact that, unlike Rafael Nadal and Michael Jordan, Woods chose to leave it until the fuss had died down meant that McIlroy missed the message. McIlroy had quickly changed his number because of the weight of media messages.

“I didn’t get it until he told me about it today,” McIlroy said. “I was like, ‘oh, thanks very much’. So I blanked Tiger Woods, which is probably not a good thing. Look, Tiger has been nothing but incredible to me over the course of my career in the good moments and the bad. He sent me an incredible message after St Andrews in 2022 [when McIlroy finished third having been two clear with nine to play].”

And what was Woods’s message? “‘I’m your friend’,” Woods revealed. “‘I know this is a difficult moment. We’ve all been there as champions. We all lose’.

“Unfortunately, it’s just happened, and the raw emotion of it, it’s still there, and it’s going to be there for, I’m sure, some time. The faster he’s able to get back on a horse and get back into contention, like he did last week [when finishing tied for fourth at the Scottish Open], the better it will be for him.”