TROON, Scotland — The question was bound to be asked of Tiger Woods at his Tuesday press conference ahead of the British Open. And his response was a predictable mix of sarcasm, cheekiness and clap-back.

Last week, World Golf Hall of Famer Colin Montgomerie pondered out loud during a lengthy, career-reflecting interview with The Times of London just how much longer Woods would continue to play a schedule that included inconsistent play in men’s major championships.

“I hope people remember Tiger as Tiger was, the passion and the charismatic aura around him,” Montgomerie said. “There is none of that now. At Pinehurst [for the U.S. Open], 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.”

So Tiger, care to respond? Needless to say, he did have a few words.

“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.”

Alrightly then. As if to make sure his point was made, Woods offered one more line.

“So when I get to his age, I get to still make that decision, where he doesn’t.”

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In fairness to Montgomerie, Woods’ record since his return after his 2021 car accident that badly injured his right leg has included just nine official starts and only three cuts made, a far cry obviously from his days winning 82 PGA Tour events and 15 major championships. When he tees it up this week at Troon, it will be just his fifth start this season, coming off a WD at the Genesis Invitational, a last place finish among those who made the cut at the Masters and missed cuts at the PGA Championship and U.S. Open.

The question of how much longer Woods will continue to play if the results aren’t what he surely would hope for seems reasonable. Except that Woods said he comes to Troon feeling good about his game and that’s the bottom line regarding his decision making process for playing or not playing.

“I’ll play as long as I can play and I feel like I can still win the event.”

Since his MC at Pinehurst, Woods said that he’s been able to train more at home in Florida, implying he’s in a better place coming into this major than the last few.

“We’ve been busting it pretty hard in the gym, which has been good,” Woods said. “Body’s been feeling better to be able to do such things, and it translates on being able to hit the ball better. Can’t quite stay out there during a practice session as long as I’d like, but I’m able to do some things that I haven’t done all year, which is nice.”

This will be Woods 23rd Open start, and his third at Troon. He played finished T-24 in 1997 and T-9 in 2004. The toughest thing for him is getting adjusted to the greens and conditions.

“I’d like to tighten up my short game just a little bit. I hadn’t seen anything this firm at home. Hot Florida, Bermuda grass is not quite like this. I need to get some more reps chipping around this fescue and how fast that ball – how fast my blade is going through the ground. It’s going through pretty quickly. So I’ve got to get a little bit of work done today and tomorrow and be ready come Thursday.

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Is it the British Open or the Open Championship? The name of the final men’s major of the golf season is a subject of continued discussion. The event’s official name, as explained in this op-ed by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. But since many United States golf fans continue to refer to it as the British Open, and search news around the event accordingly, Golf Digest continues to utilize both names in its coverage.

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com