Tiger Woods has significantly slowed down in his golfing career(Image: Getty Images)
Tiger Woods is yet to return to the greens and fairways of the PGA Tour this season, with his last tournament coming in the form of the Open Championship, where he failed to make the cut
Tiger Woods hasn’t competed professionally in almost a year, further sparking speculation regarding the golfing great’s retirement.
At 49 years old, Woods will undoubtedly go down in the history books as one of the best to ever grace the greens and fairways. He has a collection of 15 major titles, 82 wins on the PGA Tour, and 683 weeks spent as world No. 1. However, that hasn’t prevented many fans and players from questioning when he will call time on his illustrious career, given how much he has slowed down in recent years and his diminishing quality.
Colin Montgomerie suggested that Woods should retire after last year’s US Open, where he failed to make the cut among a stacked field of competitors. In an interview with The Times, Montgomerie said: “I hope people remember Tiger as Tiger was, the passion and the charismatic aura around him.
“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?’ He’s coming to Troon and he won’t enjoy it there either.”
He added: “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.”
However, Montgomerie’s stance didn’t sit well with Xander Schauffele, who quickly rushed to the defence of Woods, saying: “Whether it’s his honest opinion or not, the game of golf needs him [Woods], needs him desperately.
“Selfishly, I want him to play as long as possible. It just helps all of the guys out here, just with the amount of eyeballs that someone like Tiger Woods brings to golf.”
Meanwhile, Woods himself rebutted Montgomerie’s stance while sharing his own thoughts on retirement in a pre-tournament press conference for last year’s Open Championship, saying: “Well, as a past champion, I’m exempt until I’m 60. Colin’s not. He’s not a past champion, so he’s not exempt. So he doesn’t get the opportunity to make that decision. I do.”
Woods ultimately failed to make the cut at Royal Troon last July, and he is yet to return to the links since. In September, the pro underwent surgery on his lower back, taking to social media to explain that the procedure was a microdecompression surgery of the lumbar spine to alleviate “spasms and pain” he saw throughout 2024. And while he had hoped to return at the Genesis Invitational in February, the death of his mother, Kultida, delayed his return to the sport.
Woods wrote at the time: “I planned to tee it up this week, but I’m just not ready. I did my best to prepare, knowing it’s what my mom would have wanted, but I’m still processing her loss.
“Thanks to everyone who has reached out. I hope to be at Torrey later in the week and appreciate the continued kindness since my mom’s passing.”
Woods then ruptured his left Achilles tendon during home practice sessions before undergoing surgery in March. This forced him out of the Masters the following month. As a result, the surgeon who performed the procedure also noted that Woods will not be available for any of the year’s remaining majors, including this week’s PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.
Woods has won the tournament four times over the years, racking up titles in 1999, 2000, 2006, and 2007 respectively, but all eyes will be on Jordan Spieth on Thursday, as the Texas-born star could follow Rory McIlroy in clinching the career Grand Slam. McIlroy won the Masters back in April to add an elusive Green Jacket to his collection of PGA Championship, US Open and Open Championship titles, becoming just the seventh man to win all four majors.
And with the US PGA the only title to have evaded Spieth over the course of his career, he could achieve the same feat on Sunday, dependent on his performance at Quail Hollow. For context, only Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Woods, and McIlroy have been able to do so to date, so having two Grand Slam winners in the space of a month would be truly unprecedented.
