PGA Tour creates sponsor exemption for Tiger Woods, cites 'exceptional lifetime achievement' - ESPN

The PGA Tour has created a special sponsor exemption for 15-time major champion Tiger Woods — and Woods alone — based on his «exceptional lifetime achievement,» the tour told its members in a memo Tuesday night.

The sponsor exemption would be available for Woods to compete in the eight signature events, which feature limited fields, increased prize money and FedEx Cup points.

Woods, an 82-time winner on the PGA Tour, wouldn't otherwise qualify for the signature events with $20 million purses because he isn't playing enough competitive golf after returning to the tour from serious injuries suffered in a car wreck in February 2021.

The PGA Tour policy board approved the special sponsor exemption during a joint meeting with the PGA Tour Enterprises board of directors on Tuesday in Hartford, Connecticut.

In the memo, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN, the tour told its members, «An additional sponsor exemption will be created to recognize Tiger Woods in his own category as a player who has reached an exceptional lifetime achievement threshold of 80+ career wins.»

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

In the memo, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said the policy board was considering implementing a 36-hole cut in each of the signature events — only the Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial currently do. The board took no action and will continue discussing the topic.

The tour said it would also develop an alternate list that would ensure that each of the signature events had a field of 72 players. The Travelers