PGA Tour creates sponsor exemption for Tiger Woods, cites ‘distinctive lifetime achievement’

The PGA Tour has created a particular sponsor exemption for 15-time main champion Tiger Woods — and Woods alone — primarily based on his “distinctive lifetime achievement,” the tour informed its members in a memo Tuesday night time.

The sponsor exemption could be obtainable for Woods to compete within the eight signature occasions, which characteristic restricted fields, elevated prize cash and FedEx Cup factors.

Woods, an 82-time winner on the PGA Tour, would not in any other case qualify for the signature occasions with $20 million purses as a result of he is not enjoying sufficient aggressive golf after returning to the tour from critical accidents suffered in a automobile wreck in February 2021.

The PGA Tour coverage board authorized the particular sponsor exemption throughout a joint assembly with the PGA Tour Enterprises board of administrators on Tuesday in Hartford, Connecticut.

Within the memo, a duplicate of which was obtained by ESPN, the tour informed its members, “A further sponsor exemption will probably be created to acknowledge Tiger Woods in his personal class as a participant who has reached an distinctive lifetime achievement threshold of 80+ profession wins.”

This season, the eight signature occasions have been The Sentry, AT&T Pebble Seashore Professional-Am, Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational, RBC Heritage, Wells Fargo Championship, Memorial Event and the Vacationers Championship.

Within the memo, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan mentioned the coverage board was contemplating implementing a 36-hole reduce in every of the signature occasions — solely the Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial at present do. The board took no motion and can proceed discussing the subject.

The tour mentioned it will additionally develop an alternate listing that might be sure that every of the signature occasions had a area of 72 gamers. The Vacationers Championship has solely 71 gamers after Rory McIroy withdrew Monday.

Woods, 48, has competed in solely 9 official PGA Tour occasions the previous three seasons since returning to motion on the 2022 Masters. The one non-major occasion he has competed in is the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Nation Membership outdoors Los Angeles, which he hosts and advantages his basis.

Woods withdrew from the second spherical of the Genesis Invitational in February due to sickness. He completed sixtieth on the Masters and missed the reduce on the PGA Championship and final week’s U.S. Open.

Woods mentioned he deliberate to compete in subsequent month’s Open Championship, scheduled for July 18-21 at Royal Troon Golf Course in Scotland.

When Woods was requested on the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 on Friday if enjoying in additional occasions would possibly assist him carry out higher within the majors, he did not appear able to play extra tournaments.

“I’ve solely obtained yet one more match this season,” Woods mentioned. “Even when I win the British Open, I do not suppose I will be within the [FedEx Cup] playoffs. Only one extra occasion after which I am going to come again every time I come again.”

Within the memo, Monahan additionally gave members an replace on the tour’s negotiations with Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund, which is contemplating a large funding in PGA Tour Enterprises. The PIF has funded the rival LIV Golf League the previous three years.

Woods and different members of a transaction subcommittee met with PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan and others in New York on June 7.

“As we have mentioned up to now — we won’t negotiate in public — however we’re making progress,” Monahan informed the coverage board, in response to the memo. “Two weeks in the past, members of our PGA Tour Enterprises transaction subcommittee met in New York with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the Governor of the PIF, in addition to members of his group. Throughout that assembly, we reached consensus on a number of gadgets, however each events acknowledge that there’s nonetheless work to do to achieve a closing settlement.

“Our talks are ongoing, with the aim of growing a shared imaginative and prescient for the way forward for skilled golf that’s pro-competitive and supplies gamers with the most effective international alternatives.”