Sad news: Tiger Woods in tears while saying his final words before retiring from golf for life (!). Read more below

According to Colin Montgomerie, Woods, battered by age and injuries, was adamant that he should have lost the 150th British Open at St. Andrews, his favorite golf course in the world.

“It’s time,” 15-time major winner Montgomerie told the Banker Podcast after missing out on the 2022 Old Course. “You stand on this bridge and you start waving your arms and everybody’s like, ‘So what? Yes, it is. It’s going to be a glorious avenue.’ The stands were full, TV cameras from around the world, from every continent were on him, and he walked there alone, clearly with tears in his eyes… It doesn’t get any better than this walk. He made it himself. When the stands are full, nothing better than this outing. That’s when Tiger said, “Okay, I’m leaving.”

Woods, now 48, is still grappling with the fading light of his unprecedented career and will make his 23rd appearance at The Open Championship at Royal Troon next week. The three-time Claret Jug winner has played just seven tournaments since that emotional crossing of the Marsh Bridge. His past six competitive rounds, all this year’s majors, look bleak.

As he continues to battle injuries sustained in a life-threatening car accident in February 2021, a T60th finish at this year’s Masters was no reason for optimism. “I hope people remember Tiger for who he was, with the passion and charismatic aura that surrounded him,” Montgomery told the Times. Now this is all over. At Pinehurst, none of the hits seemed to appeal to them, and some wondered, “What on earth are you doing?”