The PGA Tour has awarded 15-time major winner Tiger Woods a lifetime exemption into all eight signature events starting next season, according to Mark Schlabach of ESPN.
The exemption, which the tour told its members about in a memo on Tuesday according to Schlabach, allows Woods to participate alongside the best players on the PGA Tour for as long as he wishes, with greater prize money, smaller fields and a 36-hole cutline for many of the signature events.
The PGA Tour policy board cited the 48-year-old’s “exceptional lifetime achievement” as the reasoning behind their decision.
Woods has racked up 82 PGA Tour titles since turning pro in 1996 and has transformed the game’s popularity throughout the modern age of the sport.
A 60th-place finish at The Masters and a failure to make the cut at the PGA Championship and last week’s U.S Open have made up Woods’ season thus far. He expects to make an appearance at Royal Troon for the final major of the season next month, the Open Championship.
Following that, Woods will be able to pick and choose what events he wishes to play as a result of his special exemption.
The Sentry, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational, RBC Heritage, Wells Fargo Championship, Memorial Tournament and the Travelers Championship make up the signature events in 2024.
