Tiger Woods Fires Back At Colin Montgomerie

There are athletes that transcend sports. Michael Jordan seemed bigger than the NBA, and there were times he flexed to remind people of that (ask Isaiah Thomas). There may not be an athlete in history, who cast a bigger shadow over their sport, than Tiger Woods.

Woods joined the PGA Tour in 1996, and over the past 28 years, he has won 82 tournaments (ties with Sam Sneed for the most in history), including 15 majors. Tournament purses have risen nine-fold, thanks to the ratings and crowds that followed Tiger on his journey. While many professional golfers partook of the delicious riches he brought to the tour, there are still some chewing on sour grapes.

Speaking to the Time of London , Colin Montgomerie said of Woods, “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.”

Montgomerie referenced this past US open, and fans of the sport would be lying if they pretended that Tiger was anything more than a shell of the golfer he once was. There is no denying though, that he is still the biggest draw in the game today. He still draws the biggest crowds on tour in the events he plays, and ratings are at their peak when he’s on the course.

Woods chose to drop his own truth bomb on Montgomerie when the press asked him about the comments. “As a past champion, I’m exempt until I’m 60,” Woods said. “Colin’s not-he’s not a past champion, so he’s not exempt. So he doesn’t get that opportunity to make that decision. I do.”

Montgomerie had his fair share of success on, mostly on the European Tour, where he has 31 career victories. The victory that has eluded him however, is a major title. He has finished second at the US Open, British Open, and PGA Championship, and he’s never been measured for a green jacket. He’s now 61-years-old, and will never qualify for anything outside of a Senior PGA major going forward (even that’s a longshot).

It's safe to say that Montgomerie is covered in glass after throwing his stones, and the closest he will get to Royal Troon Golf Club this week is the broadcast booth. Woods, meanwhile, will be in the field, enjoying the exemption that comes from being a former champion. He may even contend for the claret jug.

The idea may be more poetic fan fiction than reality, but it won’t stop millions for rooting for that exact outcome. One more outcome PGA fans may be rooting for, is Colin Montgomerie to retire his mouth and crawl back to the irrelevance from which he came.