Tiger Woods fires back at Colin Montgomerie's suggestion it's time to retire

Tiger Woods may not have the game he once did in his prime, but his tongue and competitive fire are still as sharp as ever.

Woods is set to tee it up this week at Royal Troon in search of his fourth British Open title. He hasn't made the cut at any tournament since the Masters in April, but he told reporters Tuesday he still believes he has a chance to win or he wouldn't be playing.

The statement carries a bit more weight than normal on the heels of comments Scottish golfer Colin Montgomerie made last Saturday to The Times of London in which he suggested it may be time for Tiger to retire .

"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," Montgomerie said.

When asked about those comments on Tuesday, Woods fired back.

"As a past champion, I'm exempt until I'm 60. Colin's not," he said with a knowing smile. "He's not a past champion, so he's not exempt. So he doesn't get the opportunity to make that decision. I do."

Ouch.

While a Ryder Cup champion, Montgomerie has famously never won a major title – coming closest at the 2006 U.S. Open, when he double-bogeyed the final hole at Winged Foot and lost by one stroke.

Woods has won 15 major championships in his storied career, but he hasn't finished higher than a tie for 37th in any major since winning the 2019 Masters. He's also withdrawn from or missed the cut in five of the past six majors he's played.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tiger Woods fires back at Colin Montgomerie's suggestion it's time to retire