Tiger Woods‘s golf journey is one that will be remembered for years to come! However, ever since his 2021 accident, the career graph of the legendary golfer has seen a downward trajectory. Despite this, his past laurels in the world of golf have helped him find a spot in elite golf events. Take his recent exemption at the 2024 U.S. Open as an example. Now, the PGA Tour Policy Board’s decision to give the 82-time PGA Tour winner an exemption in the signature events of the American circuit from 2025 onwards has been backed by PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, who seems to completely agree with the decision.
In a post shared by NUCLR Golf on their official X handle: the PGA Tour commissioner’s stance regarding Tiger Woods’ exemption was pretty clear. His opinion was based on the fact that Tiger Woods has won 15 major titles and a total of 82 PGA Tour events in a career of 28 years. Even though his 2024 form is definitely not one of his best, the Goat is still going on. Praising Woods, he said, “Any event he’s ever played in he’s made it bigger, he’s made it better, he’s drawn more eyeballs to it, and I think just as an organization we wanted to celebrate his exceptionalism in that manner.”
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While Tiger Woods has done a lot for the sport, he has not been appearing much in the tournaments lately, and the special exemption will be of any value only if he decides to continue playing. There have been some instances during this year in which Woods can be perceived hinting at his retirement. One such instance would be his statement regarding playing in the FedEx Cup playoffs. “I don’t think even if I win the British Open I don’t think I’ll be in the Playoffs.”
He made another statement after the second round’s conclusion of the US Open regarding his participation for the rest of the tournaments of the year. He said, “I’ve only got one more tournament this season,” while implying to this year’s Open Championship. Despite Tiger Woods being one of the GOATs and having achieved so much in the sport, the golf community doesn’t seem to agree with the ‘exemption’ decision of the PGA Tour Policy Board. Even the commissioner of the PGA Tour was bashed for showing his open support for Woods’ exemption.
Jay Monahan slammed for his blatant support of the lifetime exemption decision
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Out of the three majors in 2024, Tiger Woods missed the cut in two of them. In the one where he did not miss the cut, he recorded the worst performance of his career at the Masters. Additionally, one fan alluded to the importance of Tiger Woods in the $3 billion merger deal, stating, “So we get to watch Tiger miss the cut multiple times. Monahan and Woods are the main characters blocking a PGAT-LIV agreement/settlement.” Tiger Woods is not only part of the transaction committee that spearheads all negotiations regarding the PIF-PGA Tour merger. Back in March, the 82-time PGA Tour winner also hosted Yasir Al Rummayan in the Bahamas for a meeting regarding the impending deal.
In recent times, the PGA Tour’s emphasis on meritocracy has come into question. Whether it is the result of the 2023 Player Impact Program, where Tiger Woods was second on the list after Rory McIlroy and was awarded $12 million, or the allocation of equity to the golfers from the post-SSG merger deal, the recent exemption move has once again shed light on this issue. Mocking this step of the American circuit, a netizen said, “Meritocracy at its finest.”
The past couple of years haven’t been easy for the PGA Tour Commissioner. His leadership has come into question ever since the announcement of the $3 billion merger. The dip in viewership ratings of PGA Tour events has acted as fuel to the fire. Even PGA Tour players like Xander Schauffele have gone on record to express their disappointment in the 54-year-old. Another user specifically pointed to Manohan regarding his stance, “Fire monahan then golf heals.” A similar comment said, “Jay has to go.”
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Tiger Woods is the most popular name in golf, and he has rightfully achieved that status. With the number of tournaments won and his unique way of playing, nobody could drive it like him, nobody could hit long irons like him, or handle the wedges and the putter like he does. Talking about his first year as a pro in 1996, it took him just 291 days from his first round as a professional to climb to No. 1 in the OWGR, the quickest ascension to the top spot in OWGR history. The GOAT has also won a total of 11 PGA Tour Player of the Year awards. Alluding to his popularity, one user said, “Tiger is not in his in his prime but still draws a crowd. I can see it as a way to heighten exposure and give Tiger a chance to play golf.”
With all these achievements and keeping in mind his recent performances, do you think the lifetime exemption given to Tiger Woods is justifiable?
