Tiger Woods on Tuesday at his pre-Open Championship press convention.
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Tiger Woods, when requested what he would inform somebody who suggested him to give up, stated he feels he can nonetheless win.
He stated that perception hasn’t wavered up to now few injury-filled years.
After which, with six sentences and a smirk on his face, Woods dunked on Colin Montgomerie.
If you happen to like your Open Championship weeks spicy, Woods introduced a contact of sizzling sauce to the proceedings Tuesday morning. Speaking in his pre-tournament press convention at Royal Troon, the 15-time main winner stated he’ll proceed to play occasions, regardless of accidents stemming from a 2021 automotive crash and lackluster play in tournaments since then — and he seemingly had a solution prepared in response to feedback from Montgomerie, who final week advised Woods ought to retire.
About three minutes into his media session, Woods had these exchanges, began by reporters (in italics):
“At all times a variety of discuss your future within the sport. Hypothetically, if somebody ever did advise you to give up, what would you say to them in response, and the way would you clarify why you retain placing your self by means of the ache to play?”
“I’ll play so long as I can play,” Woods stated, “and I really feel like I can nonetheless win the occasion.”
“And has that perception wavered in any respect within the final two years, that you may nonetheless win?”
“No,” Woods stated.
“Tiger, simply to virtually comply with up on that, you’ve given a lot to this sport, you’ve given a lot to this championship. However you already know there was feedback final week from Colin Montgomerie who stated, why is he right here, he ought to retire, there’s no level to this. Do you are feeling that’s a bit hurtful and also you’ve earned the correct to you make the choice if you resolve?”
“Properly, as a previous champion,” Woods stated. “I’m exempt till I’m 60. Colin’s not He’s not a previous champion, so he’s not exempt. So he doesn’t get the chance to make that call. I do.”
‘What the hell is he doing?’: Colin Montgomerie calls on Tiger Woods to retire
Right here, there was laughter within the background, and Woods grinned. There was yet one more query.
“You’re feeling that you just’ve earned that, you deserve that?”
“So after I get to his age, I get to nonetheless make that call, the place he doesn’t.”
The forwards and backwards got here in response to an interview with Montgomerie revealed final Friday by The Instances. For readability, the whole point out of Woods’ future is beneath (and the article could be learn in full right here):
Figuring out when time is up is tough to gauge. Tiger Woods, now morphing into his personal tribute act, is a working example, and Montgomerie would somewhat bear in mind the person who beat him into one other second place by 5 strokes on the 2005 Open at St Andrews.
I hope folks bear in mind Tiger as Tiger was, the fervour and the charismatic aura round him. There’s none of that now. At Pinehurst he didn’t appear to take pleasure in a single shot and also you assume, ‘What the hell is he doing?’ He’s coming to Troon and he gained’t take pleasure in it there both.”
Woods, 48, has lengthy stated he’ll name it a day when he’s now not aggressive, to which Montgomerie says: “Aren’t we there? I’d have thought we had been previous there. There’s a time for all sportsmen to say goodbye, however it’s very troublesome to inform Tiger it’s time to go. Clearly, he nonetheless feels he can win. We’re extra real looking.”
This isn’t stated with any kind of glee, however a sorrow {that a} new era could also be seeing him tarnish his legacy. “These guys solely know Tiger Woods lacking the reduce and he’s higher than that, the very best we’ve ever seen.”
Within the days because the story was written, numerous shops, together with this one, picked up on it — and Montgomerie seemingly had seen the articles and heard Woods’ ideas. Shortly after the Tuesday press convention, he tweeted this:
Tiger Woods makes somber admission after U.S. Open missed reduce
“If Golf Writers need my ideas on Tiger please ask me direct, somewhat than taking a quote from an interview out of context. Wishing Tiger an satisfying and profitable week.”
On the U.S. Open, after lacking the reduce, Woods himself had advised his play could also be nearing some kind of finish. He had been requested if this 12 months’s version could be his remaining Open — to which he stated: “So far as my final Open Championship or U.S. Open Championship, I don’t know what that’s. It might or might not be.”
Later in Woods’ press convention on Tuesday, there was yet one more query relating to the long run. A reporter requested whether or not hyperlinks play would current the “greatest alternative going ahead whether or not it’s this week or subsequent 12 months into the long run to win once more or to be aggressive simply due to the type and possibly it doesn’t require some issues which are more durable for you now.”
“I feel the older you get,” Woods stated, “the much less you possibly can carry the golf ball. However over right here, you possibly can run the golf ball 100 yards if you happen to get the correct wind and the correct trajectory.
“It negates considerably of the excessive launch circumstances that many of the occasions you see on the Tour that these days that populate the world. Right here it’s just a little bit completely different. You’ll be able to play on the bottom. You’ll be able to burn it on the bottom with a 1-iron, 2-iron, 3-wood, no matter, even drivers, and simply flight it and get a bunch of run.
“I feel that’s one of many the reason why you see older champions up there on the board as a result of they’re not compelled to have to hold the ball 320 yards any extra.”
