Tiger Woods has been told his time competing at the top of professional golf is over, after the 15-time major champion endured a difficult end to his Masters outing at Augusta.

Woods was making just his second start of the season in Georgia, and showed glimmers of his old self in rounds one and two, battling in tough conditions to make the 36-hole cut last Friday. In doing so the American once again made Masters history, making a record-breaking 24th cut at Augusta.

Just 24 hours later though, Woods was writing records for all the wrong reasons as the 15-time major champion went on to card his worst ever round at a flagship event, shooting a 10-over-par 82 in round three.

READ MORE: Masters LIVE recap: Tiger Woods reveals career plan as Scottie Scheffler wins second green jacket

He battled back on Sunday, before going on to finish the tournament in 60th at 16-over-par thanks to a final round five-over 77. Woods’ struggles in recent years have been well-documented, after the 82-time PGA Tour winner sustained career-threatening injuries in a car crash in 2021.

Since then he has been forced to play a part-time schedule, making just eight starts in 24 months. One came at the 2022 Open Championship at St Andrews, where the three-time Claret Jug winner received a hero’s reception at the iconic 18th as he bowed out after the second round.

And according to his former rival Colin Montgomerie, his emotional showing at the Home of Golf should have been his last. “I just wish Tiger had gone after he waved on that Swilken bridge at St Andrews a couple of years ago,” he told talkSPORT. “He’s kept going, he thinks he can do it but it’s quite obvious now physically and mentally, that he can’t.

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“He’s competing once a month and it’s not enough. You can’t play once a month and hope to contend with these guys now. He finished the tournament 82-77. It’s not close, obviously and I wish he’d waved goodbye to the golfing word a couple of years ago. He did wave goodbye at the end when he took his hat off.”

Like his finish at the Open two years ago, Woods received a warm reception at the 18th, and responded by waving his cap to the Augusta patrons, something Montgomerie believes may well could have been a final goodbye. “He did have a bigger wave than normal. Could that be it? You never know with Tiger.

“He says he’s going to play the PGA next month. We wish him well of course we do. He’s been our sport really for the last 15-20 years and congratulations to him. But there is a time to go. There is a right time to go and there is a wrong time and I think he’s delaying it a little bit long now.” Woods has however committed to go on, revealing post-round on Sunday his plans to play in the remaining three majors of the year.