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 advised its members in a memo Tuesday evening.

The sponsor exemption could be out there for Woods to compete within the eight signature occasions, which function 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 taking part in sufficient aggressive golf after returning to the tour from severe accidents suffered in a automobile wreck in February 2021.

The PGA Tour coverage board accepted 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 advised its members, “An extra sponsor exemption can 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 Match and the Vacationers Championship.

Within the memo, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan mentioned the coverage board was contemplating implementing a 36-hole minimize 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 could additionally develop an alternate listing that may be certain 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 minimize 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 taking part in in additional occasions would possibly assist him carry out higher within the majors, he did not appear able to play further tournaments.

“I’ve solely obtained yet one more event this season,” Woods mentioned. “Even when I win the British Open, I do not assume I will be within the [FedEx Cup] playoffs. Only one extra occasion after which I will come again each 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 previously — we will not negotiate in public — however we’re making progress,” Monahan advised the coverage board, in line with 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 staff. Throughout that assembly, we reached consensus on a number of gadgets, however each events acknowledge that there’s nonetheless work to do to succeed in a remaining settlement.

“Our talks are ongoing, with the purpose of creating a shared imaginative and prescient for the way forward for skilled golf that’s pro-competitive and offers gamers with the very best world alternatives.”