Open Championship crowd offers perfect response to Tiger Woods retirement plea

"Prove Monty wrong!" was the rallying cry at Royal Troon's first tee as Tiger Woods kicked off his opening round of The Open Championship on Thursday.

Woods, who is teeing up for only the fifth time this year, continues to navigate a part-time schedule due to ongoing fitness struggles. His physical woes have taken a toll on his performance, and there were murmurs about his future as he entered this week's championship.

Colin Montgomerie, once a fierce competitor of Woods , hinted that it might be time for the 15-time major champ to hang up his clubs. Speaking to The Times, Montgomerie reflected: "I hope people remember Tiger as Tiger was, the passion and the charismatic aura around him."

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He lamented the current state of Woods' game, saying, "There is none of that now. At Pinehurst, he did not seem to enjoy a single shot and you think 'What the hell is he doing?'." Challenging Woods' assertion that he'd retire when no longer competitive, Montgomerie questioned: "Aren't we there? I'd have thought we were past there."

Montgomerie acknowledged the difficulty in telling a sportsman like Tiger to step away, noting, "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."

Yet, as Woods got his round going in Ayrshire, the fans seemed eager to continue witnessing the golf legend vie for glory. It was evident in Woods' first round, which attracted a sizeable crowd at the Royal Troon. The 48 year old himself responded to Montgomerie's claims during his press conference before the championship on Tuesday, and his reply was quite blunt.

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Addressing the fact that, as a past champion, he is exempt to play this week an honor that Montgomerie doesn't have - Woods pointed out: "Well, as a past champion, I'm exempt until I'm 60. Colin is not. He is not a past champion, so he's not exempt. So he doesn't get the opportunity to make that decision. I do. So when I get to his age, I still get to make that decision, where he doesn't."

Woods also gained the support of his PGA Tour friend Rickie Fowler on Tuesday who believes there's still plenty more the three-time Open champion can give. "He still has plenty of good golf in him," Fowler told Mirror Sport.

"The game is better when we have him around... "I love having Tiger [here]. He has been trying to continue to ensure he is fit to go, playing the majors and then hopefully a few other events on top of that... I would love to see him remain healthy so he can play a select group of events throughout the year."