Tiger Woods Should Retire, Stephen A. Smith Says

By Brian Jones

Tiger Woods exited the Masters Tournament early due to the injuries suffered during his car accident in February 2021. And while Woods is one of the best golfers of all time, one sports personality believes it's time for him to retire. Stephen A. Smith of ESPN shared his thoughts on Woods and said he was "thankful" that Woods stepped away from the tournament before it was over. 

"Think its time for him to call it quits," Smith said on ESPN's First Take. "I know Phil Mickelson is 52, but the bottom line is Phil Mickelson's body hasn't been through what Tiger Woods' body has been through. I'm not saying Phil Mickelson hasn't gone through some adversity, but never the physical adversity and challenges in his life. I ain't never seen him like I'm seeing Tiger. It's one of them sad, sad situations right now, and I'm talking about his health. He needs to step away."

Woods made the cut at the Masters for the 23rd consecutive time, tying a tournament record. But during the third round of the tournament in Augusta, Georgia, Woods shot a nine-over 79, his worst score ever in the PGA Tour. With that along with him noticeably limping, Woods decided to take himself out of the tournament, and there's no telling when he'll play next. 

In December, the 47-year-old golf legend teased retirement. "The goal is to play just the major championships and maybe one or two more. That's it," Woods said. "I mean, that's physically, that's all I can do." Woods also talked about playing in three major tournaments in 2022, something he didn't expect to accomplish. 

"I didn't expect to play three majors this year," he said. "We were hoping for just the British Open, but I was able to get two more in there, so that was a big positive."  Woods added: "I like playing, I like competing, but unfortunately — I can hit the golf ball and hit whatever shot you want — I just can't walk." The last time Woods won a major was in 2019 when placed first at the Masters. He has won the tournament five times, the second-most all-time behind Jack Nicklaus who has six Masters victories.

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