Tiger Woods PGA Tour exempt status: Details explored
After making just five official starts in the last two PGA Tour seasons, Tiger Woods is all set to compete more frequently in 2024. Following his return to action last month with the Hero World Challenge, Woods participated in the PNC Championship and shared his plans for the upcoming season.
He mentioned that he aims to play at least one event each month, including all four majors. This is quite positive news, considering what he went through in the past two years.
As for the concern of losing his PGA Tour card, Woods doesn't need to worry about his exempt status; he is listed in the third group of the priority rankings, thanks to his 2019 Masters win. He is exempt from the PGA Tour until the end of the 2024 season.
The 82-time winner on the PGA Tour doesn't need to stress even if he fails to win ever again, as he has earned a lifetime exemption after winning more than 20 events. For the uninitiated, any player with 20 wins on the PGA Tour earns a lifetime membership, which is 18th on the priority ranking list. Previously, players were required to have at least 15 years of experience on the Tour, but this criterion was removed ahead of the 2022–23 season.
Currently, there are only five active players with more than 20 wins on the PGA Tour. However, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson are suspended from competing on the tour after joining the rival LIV Golf Circuit.
Davis Love III is the sole player listed on the PGA Tour lifetime exemption list. Although Vijay Singh, who has won 34 events, can also use a lifetime exemption, he is currently on the career money exemption list, which is 11th in the priority rankings.
Can Tiger Woods compete in all the Major Championships?
Competing in majors is not much of an issue for Tiger Woods, as he has a lifetime exemption from the Masters and the PGA Championship. At the Open Championship, he is exempt until the age of 60. However, as of now, he is not qualified for the US Open in 2024.
Following his win at the Augusta National in 2019, the 15-time major championship winner gained a five-year exemption for the US Open, which expired this year. He can still make it to the US Open if he ends inside the top 60 in the OWGR by next spring. However, this seems highly unlikely given his limited schedule.
Even if Woods fails to make it to Pinehurst next year in other ways, he is likely to receive a special exemption from the USGA. This is not something new, as the likes of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus have received several exemptions in the past.
In 2021, Phil Mickelson also received a special invite before he won the PGA Championship, which helped him gain another five-year exemption.
Woods has won nine USGA events, including three US Opens, three US Amateurs, and three US Junior Amateur Championships.