Tiger Woods needed a special exemption to compete in last weekend’s 2024 U.S. Open, which saw Bryson DeChambeau emerge victorious, while Woods shot seven-over-par and missed the cut. Now, Woods is getting another special exemption, but one that would allow him to play in more than just a single tournament. The PGA Tour announced on Tuesday that it was introducing a Sponsor Exemption for Lifetime Achievement for Woods—and only Woods—that will allow him to compete in the eight annual signature events held on the PGA Tour.
These signature events, introduced last season in response to the rise of LIV Golf, are limited-field tournaments with a bevy of benefits for those competing. The perks include increased Official World Golf Ranking points, higher point distribution for FedEx Cup rankings, and most importantly, bigger prize pools. The eight signature tournaments for the 2024 PGA Tour season offer $20 million purses, which is just $1 million less than what the U.S. Open offered and equal to the amount distributed by The Masters.
