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Tiger Woods given PGA Tour lifetime achievement exemption: what does it mean?
Woods didn’t qualify for the Memorial Tournament at the start of June and needed a special exemption to play in the US Open.
The PGA Tour have awarded Tiger Woods a lifetime exemption which will allow the 15-time major winner to play in all of its Signature Events in the future.
On Tuesday, the PGA’s policy board voted to grant Woods the special exemption, stating in a memo: “An additional sponsor exemption will be created to recognise Tiger Woods in his own category as a player who has reached an exceptional lifetime achievement threshold of 80-plus career wins”.
Woods jointly holds the record for tournament victories on the PGA Tour, with both he and Sam Snead winning on 82 occasions.
Jack Nicklaus is third with 73. Of active PGA Tour players, Rory McIlroy is highest on the list with 26 (assuming Phil Mickelson, 45, doesn’t return).
What are the PGA Tour’s Signature Events?
As of this season, the eight “Designated Events” have been rebranded as “Signature Events,” which the PGA Tour describes as “limited-field tournaments with increased purses and FedExCup points that bring together the TOUR’s top performers.”
Signature Events have a total prize purse of $20 million, second only to the US Open ($21.5 million).
2024 PGA Tour Signature Events
- The Sentry
- AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
- Genesis Invitational
- Arnold Palmer Invitational
- RBC Heritage
- Wells Fargo Championship
- Memorial Tournament
- Travelers Championship.
In order to qualify, players must meet a number of requirements based on performances over the last two seasons, which Woods has not given himself the chance to do due to not playing enough competitive golf following a car crash in February 2021.
What is the qualifying criteria for the PGA Tour’s Signature Events?
Qualifying criteria for PGA Tour Signature Events
According to the PGA Tour itself, the qualifying criteria for its Signature Events is as follows:
• Top 50 in the previous season's FedExCup standings (BMW Championship qualifiers)
• Top 10 available and not otherwise exempt from current FedExCup standings (Aon Next 10)
• Top five available and not otherwise exempt FedExCup points earners from the swings leading up to each Signature Event (Aon Swing 5)
• If not exempt from the three categories above: current-year tournament winners and PGA TOUR members in the top 30 of the Official World Golf Ranking
• Four sponsor exemptions (PGA TOUR members)
• The three player-hosted invitationals will each have one tournament host exemption, which is not restricted to PGA TOUR members.
Is Woods playing in the 2024 Travelers Championship?
Despite having won the Memorial Tournament more times than any other player, for instance, Woods didn’t qualify to play in the 2024 Signature Event, which took place at Muirfield Village at the start of June.
The new exemption will change that and ensures the Californian has a place in the field at such tournaments if he wants one. It comes too late for him to play in this week’s Travelers Championship, however.
Does Tiger Woods qualify to play in all majors?
As a past champion at the Masters and PGA Championship, Woods has lifetime exemptions at both tournaments.
For the same reason, he can also play in the Open Championship until the age of 60 (another 12 years).
However, Woods required a special exemption to play in last week’s US Open (and will do at future tournaments) as his 10-year exemption as a previous winner and five-year exemption for winning the 2019 Masters had already expired.
See also: Why does Team USA have four players in men’s golf at the 2024 Olympics in Paris?