The PGA Tour’s ‘lifetime exemption’ rule is deemed flawed due to Tiger Woods’ injury, which has..

The PGA Tour’s ‘lifetime exemption’ rule is deemed flawed due to Tiger Woods’ injury, which has already impacted the 2024 plan.

Tiger Woods is entitled to participate in as many competitions as he pleases.

However, the PGA Tour’s “special exemption” regulation seems like just another last-ditch effort given how his body is failing him.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan stated, “I think it was important to our membership, it’s something we talked about with the PAC, it was important to our player directors, it was important to our board, and it’s important to me.”

“The exemption states that the man has won over 80 events. He has improved and increased the visibility of every event he has ever played, and as an organization, we felt it was only fitting to honor his extraordinary performance in that way.

Nobody could dispute that Monahan’s introduction of the new rules on Monday was made only to help Woods and the sport’s broader appeal.

As he approaches his twilight years on the golf field, Woods has won three of his career’s four majors, for a total of 15 titles on the greatest stage.

His accomplishment has given him a lifetime exemption to the Masters, Open, US Open, and PGA Championship. He is ranked second only to Jack Nicklaus on that list.

That equates to four occasions a year when that “exceptionalism” should be duly acknowledged.

Actually, his physique is probably only capable of handling that.

One element seems to be missing from the creation of the rule that permits Woods to compete in the sport’s four major tournaments and all eight signature events as part of a new “Lifetime Achievement exemption”: he can’t do it.
Woods announced earlier this year that in 2024 he will participate in one event every month. Woods has participated in four events so far this season, has failed to break 70, and has only made one cut—at the Masters.