Tiger Woods has his own rule on PGA Tour which no other player can access
Tiger Woods is one of the greatest golfers of all time and has been awarded certain privileges by the PGA Tour, including a ‘lifetime achievement exemption’
Legendary 15-time major champion Tiger Woods has been granted a unique exemption that no other golfer can claim. Despite being past his prime, he still enjoys the privilege of participating in certain events at his discretion.
Only Jack Nicklaus boasts more major championships than Woods. With his 82 PGA Tour victories, Woods is one of the most successful players in golf history, with his wins spanning three decades.
However, a series of injuries and surgeries have caused Woods to slide down the rankings, making it difficult for him to automatically qualify for top-tier tournaments. He recently missed the PGA Championship and urged fans not to be too ‘greedy’ watching on from home.
This led to the PGA Tour striking a deal allowing the 49-year-old unrestricted access to its eight signature events. These competitions have limited slots and offer significantly higher prize money than most others.
The world’s best golfers are drawn to these events, but the PGA Tour acknowledges Woods’ unique appeal to fans. The board passed a rule establishing a ‘lifetime achievement exemption category’ for active players with over 80 career titles.
Woods now has the option to participate in these signature events for the remainder of his career. He has been playing on a limited schedule for several years and last competed at the Genesis Invitational in 2024.
An Achilles surgery is expected to sideline Woods for most of the season. Adam Scott, a former rival, recently shared insights into the strategies Woods would use to ruthlessly assert his superiority over other players.
“Yeah, I played a bunch with him in practice rounds and stuff. I played a practice round with him that week of The Open at St Andrews in 2000. It was nuts, I was 19,” Scott shared with YouTuber Grant Horvat.
“Every area of his game was better than everyone else’s. Even his short game was like Phil Mickelson-esque. And then that ran across the board: driving, irons, putting, everything.
“But then, everything that went on around, the ‘Tiger Mania’ it was called back then, it was just so much. It was so new to golf, or at least [to] me at that point. I just don’t think we’d seen anything like that. It was wild to be around.
“[If you were a threat to him] he would just play games with you [in practice rounds]. He’d hit the wrong club. He’d challenge you.
“You’d hit a good shot and he’s like, ‘But can you draw it and hold it up against the wind like that?’ And you can’t. Just to make you feel inferior. He was a gamesman, he was the ultimate competitor.”
