TIGER WOODS has been urged to retire just DAYS before The Open.
The American will be in action at Royal Troon Golf Club when the eagerly-anticipated action commences on Thursday.
Woods has been blighted by injury over the last decade and has looked a shadow of the player widely considered to be golf’s GOAT.
The 48-year-old missed the cut at the PGA Championship in May and admitted he needed to make improvements to his overall game.
But golf great Colin Montgomerie reckons it’s time for Woods to set down his putters once and for all as he’s a shell of his former self.
The Scot told The Times: “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.
“Obviously, he still feels he can win. We are more realistic.”
Montgomerie believes Woods’ displays as of late are tarnishing his legacy and the impact he had on the sport.
The 61-year-old added: “These guys only know Tiger Woods missing the cut and he’s better than that, the best we’ve ever seen.”
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‘Monty’ hopes Woods’ contributions to the sport aren’t overshadowed by his recent woes on the course.
Europe’s 2010 Ryder Cup skipper, 61, 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.”
Woods is all too aware of calls for him to bring the curtain down on his illustrious career but is adamant he can recapture some of his past glory.
He recently said of his prolonged downturn in form: “[I’ll] just keep fighting.
“Keep the pedal on, keep fighting, keep grinding, keep working hard at posting the best score that I can possibly post.
“That’s all I can do. It’s going to be a lot [of work], but I’m going to fight until the end.”