One of golf’s greats thinks Tiger Woods missed the perfect time to hang up his spikes for good.

Colin Montgomerie, 59, told the U.K.-based “The Bunkered Podcast” that Woods should have said his farewell to the game after missing the cut at this year’s British Open at St. Andrews.  

“That was the time,” Montgomerie said. “Stand on that bridge, start waving, and everyone goes, ‘So, is that it?’ Yeah, it is. It would have been a glorious way to go. The stands were full, the world’s TV cameras – from all continents – were on him, he’s walking up there on his own, tears were in his eyes, obviously, you can’t beat that walk. I’ve done it myself. When the stands are full, you cannot beat that walk. … I tell you what, that is a special, special arena. It’s a theatre. That was the time for Tiger to say, ‘OK, I bow out.’”

The 46-year-old Woods won the last of his 15 majors at the 2019 Masters. But a car crash in February 2021 resulted in significant injuries to his right leg that left him in the hospital for weeks and has made it difficult to walk golf courses. He said he will never play a full schedule again and hopes to at least play the majors going forward.

It’s why Montgomerie also believes Woods, who has a record 82 PGA Tour victories, won’t add another to his collection – but is hoping that he’s wrong.

“I don’t see him doing that [winning again],” Montgomerie said. “People will say, ‘Oh come on, Monty’. Listen, yes, he’s great. But Tiger doesn’t have to now just get back to the standard he was performing at then. He has to improve it. The standard is improving all the time, and there’s not one or two guys that can beat him now. There’s 22 guys that can beat him. So, it’s Tiger trying to get not back to where he was but to get to a standard he’s never been at before and I don’t think that’s possible.

“I can’t see that happening. I’d love it to happen because it’s great for the game. I would love him to win. But I just can’t see it happening.”

Woods, who played just three tournaments in 2022, had to withdraw from the Hero World Challenge in December because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot. He did play in The Match last weekend but was able to use cart, like he will when teaming with son Charlie at the PNC Championship this weekend.

Montgomerie – a runner up in five majors, including to Woods in the 2005 British Open, and 31-time winner on the European Tour – believes Woods not bowing out at St. Andrews despite missing the cut by nine strokes would have been best.

“Why go on? Go out at the top,” Montgomerie said. “It’s something that very few can do.”