Tiger Woods, who is perhaps the greatest player on the tour to date, was the subject of a special announcement from the PGA.
The 15-time major champion will now be eligible for lifetime exemptions to some PGA events, according to a statement from the PGA. Players with 80 or more PGA Tour victories will be eligible to qualify for “Signature Events” under its “Sponsor Exemption for Lifetime Achievement.” Currently, only Woods (82 career victories) fits this description for a player. Along with PGA great Sam Snead, he shares the record for the most PGA Tour victories ever.
The new regulation was put into place, according to the PGA Tour, to “recognize Tiger Woods in his own category.”
The Sentry, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the Genesis Invitational (which Woods has hosted recently), the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the RBC Heritage, the Wells Fargo Championship, the Memorial Tournament, and the Travelers Championship are among these eight iconic events.
Woods remains the biggest star on the tour despite his recent setbacks. While competing at the U.S. Open last week, he attracted a lot of attention. He led the competition for a short while at the beginning but ultimately missed the cut.
Given that Woods has primarily been participating in major league golf as of late, perhaps these exemptions will enable him to participate in further tournaments in the future. Woods has had difficulties recently, ever since his vehicle accident a few years ago.