GOLF
Why is Tiger Woods playing in the 2024 British Open? How did he qualify?
15-time major winner Woods will make only his fourth start of the 2024 season in The Open Championship at Royal Troon.
Tiger Woods has already gone down in history as one of the greatest players in the history of golf, with his record of 15 major championship victories second only to the legendary Jack Nicklaus, who won 18. The 48-year-old’s most recent such triumph came at the 2019 Masters and there is little hope of him challenging at the top of the leaderboard in this week’s 2024 British Open at Royal Troon. But he will be there.
After winning 14 majors by the age of 32, Woods’ career was derailed by a combination of injuries and personal problems, which caused him to miss almost two-and-a-half years of action between August 2015 and January 2018.
His Masters victory gave fans some hope we could see the ‘old’ Tiger once again, but a serious car crash in February 2021 effectively marked the end of his full-time career as a professional golfer.
What exemption does Tiger Woods have for the British Open?
Sporadic appearances have become the norm for the 82-time PGA Tour winner, with his appearance at Troon only his fourth event of 2024. Despite his lack of action, though, Woods’ place in the Open Championship is safe for another few years.
There is a long list of ways in which golfers can qualify for The Open, with the world’s top players fulfilling a whole host of criteria. These days, though, Tiger only falls into one category.
Up until this year, former Open champions under the age of 60 are exempt, which accounts for 20 players, one of which is Woods, a three-time winner (2000, 2005, 2006). The likes of Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and David Duval also qualify this way.
When will Woods’ Open exemption expire?
The Californian’s exemption will last for another 11 years, by which time he will be 59. That means his last ever Open could be in 2035.
Interestingly, the The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, the tournament organisers, have decided to reduce the age of exemption to 55 from next year onwards, which would’ve potentially cut Woods’ Open career short.
However, the change will only apply to new winners of The Open, so Tiger will still be exempt for a little over a decade. He could, of course, try to qualify from 2035 onwards…