Despite Monty’s suggestion, Tiger isn’t the retiring type

The shots Tiger Woods took were not only with his clubs. At the beginning of Open Week, he opened up on Colin Montgomerie.

And so much for the idea pro golfers only treat each other with total respect. Hey, if you can’t have a good rivalry, then we’ll have to settle for a good feud.

Woods is at the 152nd Open at Royal Troon on the Ayrshire Coast of Scotland. As a former winner, Tiger, now 48, will be invited to play until he’s 60, which is only one year off Montgomerie’s current age.

Monty, as you know, never won an Open. Or any other major. Whether that failure contributes to a perceived displeasure, only he knows. What we know about Tiger is he disliked (putting it mildly) Monty suggesting he ought to, well, retire.

A cynic might ask, to do what? Play golf for fun? Something Montgomerie wondered if it was possible.

Woods hasn’t been in contention since his last victory at the 2019 Masters and missed the cut this year at the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship. All this hasn’t discouraged his loyal fans, but certainly has discouraged Montgomerie. At least one would surmise from his comments.

“I hope people remember Tiger as Tiger was,” said Montgomery in the Times article. “The passion and the charismatic aura around him—there is none of that now. At Pinehurst (for the U.S. 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 definitely didn’t enjoy Montgomerie’s thoughts, as Tiger made clear when asked by a reporter Tuesday at the scheduled pre-tournament media session.

“Well, as a past champion,” Woods said with an emphasis meant to embarrass Montgomerie, “I’m exempt until I’m 60. Colin’s not. He’s not a past champion so he doesn’t have the opportunity to make the decision. I do.”

If you want to believe this is teapot-tempest stuff, well, something real or imagined has existed between Tiger and Monty since the 1997 Masters.

Montgomerie was the successful veteran pro, a Ryder Cupper for England, who had been as high as no. 2 in the world rankings, and Tiger, after winning three consecutive U.S. Amateurs, was a hotshot rookie surrounded by expectations and hype. In the first round, Tiger shot a 2-under par, 70 while Montgomerie had a 72. In the post-round interviews Woods, young and enthusiastic, was understandably optimistic.

A short time later Montgomerie came into the Press Room, as it still is known, and seemed unimpressed with Tiger’s score.

He tried to remind the writers that there were three rounds to go and he was very much in a good position, subtly downgrading Woods’ chances.

However, as we were dramatically to learn, Woods burst free with a fantastic finish that included a 65 and 66. He not only won, but he did so with an eighteen-under par-270 that shattered the scoring record. Montgomerie stumbled and had a final round 81, finishing in a tie for 30th.

Woods was about to take over golf for years. Montgomerie was left in the distance. He could never get close, even with his comments.