Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
CNN
The PGA Tour announced on Tuesday that it has created a special exemption exclusively for Tiger Woods, allowing him to qualify for certain events on its schedule.
The ‘Sponsor Exemption for Lifetime Achievement’ permits players with 80 or more PGA Tour victories to qualify for ‘Signature Events.’ Woods, with 82 career victories, is the only active player who meets this criterion. The 15-time major champion is tied with Sam Snead for the most PGA Tour victories.
The PGA Tour stated that this exemption was implemented to “recognize Tiger Woods in his own category.”
This decision was approved following a meeting of the PGA Tour’s Policy and Enterprises Boards in Hartford, Connecticut.
The eight ‘Signature Events’ are the premier tournaments on the PGA Tour schedule, featuring increased prize money and more FedExCup points. FedExCup points are accumulated throughout the year, with the top 70 players qualifying for the Playoffs. Last year’s tournament had a $75 million prize pool, with the winner receiving $18 million.
The eight ‘Signature Events’ on the PGA Tour calendar are The Sentry, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, The Genesis Invitational (which Woods has hosted in recent years), the Arnold Palmer Invitational, RBC Heritage, Wells Fargo Championship, The Memorial Tournament, and the Travelers Championship.
Woods has previously won the Arnold Palmer Invitational eight times and The Memorial Tournament five times.
However, since suffering serious leg injuries in a 2021 car crash, Woods has not been able to play regularly and would not typically qualify for these events. The 48-year-old has played in only four tournaments this year: The Genesis Invitational and the three majors. He withdrew from the second round of the Genesis in February, finished 60th at the Masters, and missed the cut at both the PGA Championship and the US Open.
Additionally, the PGA Tour announced that all ‘Signature Events’ would now have a minimum field of 72 players.
