Tiger Woods Receives PGA Tour Sponsor Exemption for Signature Events

In recognition of his exceptional career achievements, Tiger Woods has been granted a special sponsor exemption by the PGA Tour, granting him entry into the tour's eight signature events each year. This exemption allows Woods to compete despite currently being outside the top-50 of the FedEx Cup rankings.

The PGA Tour has announced a special sponsor exemption for Tiger Woods, allowing him to play in the tour's eight signature events each year. This exemption is designed to honor Woods' remarkable career accomplishments, which include 82 PGA Tour wins and 15 major championships.

Tiger Woods Receives PGA Tour Sponsor Exemption for Signature Events

Woods, who has played in only four events this year, would normally be ineligible to compete in the signature events due to his current ranking outside the top-50 of the FedEx Cup standings. However, the PGA Tour created this exemption "to recognize Tiger Woods in his own category as a player who has reached an exceptional lifetime achievement threshold of 80+ career wins," according to a memo sent to players via ESPN.

Woods is currently tied with Sam Snead for the most wins in PGA Tour history, and his 15 major victories rank second only to Jack Nicklaus' 18.

Tiger Woods Receives PGA Tour Sponsor Exemption for Signature Events

The PGA Tour's signature events were introduced amidst the emergence of LIV Golf and discussions with both the Saudi-funded league and the tour's own players. These limited-field events feature higher purses and more FedEx Cup points for participants.

This season, the signature events include The Sentry, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational, RBC Heritage, Wells Fargo Championship, Memorial Tournament, and the upcoming Travelers Championship.

Tiger Woods Receives PGA Tour Sponsor Exemption for Signature Events

Since the 2022 Masters, Woods has competed in just nine events, with the Genesis Invitational being the only non-major he has played. Woods withdrew from that tournament this year.

At 48 years old, Woods gave a somewhat uncertain answer when asked if last weekend's U.S. Open, where he missed the cut, was his last. "I don't know... it may or may not be," he said.

Woods has faced challenges in recent years, failing to finish in the top 20 of a major championship since winning the Masters in 2019. It marks his longest such streak since failing to finish inside the top 20 in the first six majors of his career in 1995 and 1996. In his last 25 majors, he has only four top 20 finishes.

Despite his recent struggles, Woods has confirmed that he will participate in the Open Championship next month, which will be his final tournament of the year. He will return to competitive golf "whenever I come back."

The Open Championship will be held at Royal Troon this year, beginning on July 18. Woods has not made the cut in the tournament since his T6 finish in 2018. The Open was not held in 2020, and Woods missed the 2021 and 2023 events.

Woods' exemption for the PGA Tour's signature events ensures that fans will have the opportunity to witness one of the greatest golfers of all time compete in some of the tour's most prestigious events for years to come.