Tiger Woods plays a tee shot during practice for this week's US Open.
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The question of which players get into the Signature Events — the premier, big-money tournaments held eight times a year on the PGA Tour — was a contentious one in the first season of the schedule. Tournament sponsors are given four exemptions to give Tour members of their choice, and most of those exemptions go to the same roster in 2024. Webb Simpson and Adam Scott – two members of the Policy Board – benefited greatly, drawing the ire of others. critics.
With the first year of the Signature Events now coming to an end, the tour membership is considering various changes to the makeup of those venues, led in particular by the new release of one player in particular: Tiger Woods.
According to the monthly newsletter of updates shared with members of the Tour, the Player Advisory Council (PAC) – one of the central sections of the tour's governance – supports the creation of a special release for Woods and only Woods, given his great and incomparable success in his career. . The idea was formally discussed for the first time at a meeting during the Charles Schwab Challenge on May 21, and will be voted on at the Policy Board meeting on Tuesday during next week's Traveler Championship.
With 82 career wins and over $120 million in lifetime earnings, Woods' career speaks for itself. Any event he would move mountains to participate in. But Woods doesn't automatically qualify for these events. He hasn't competed in the last few years and hasn't done well enough to earn his points on his own. With only four releases being offered in the 70-80 player field competing for $20 million, those sponsor releases are in high demand. Players who have not yet succeeded in those fields found themselves writing letters to sponsors for the first time in years. If Woods had shown interest in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, he would have won one of those spots outright, taking away an opportunity that others, arguably, could use more than the 48-year-old worth hundreds of millions of dollars. .
“This exemption is intended to hold players who are important to the sponsors of the tournament but who are otherwise ineligible,” said GREENSHEET newspaper. “In order to expand these areas to membership and provide tournament sponsors with flexibility, PAC supported adding additional sponsor exemptions recognizing Tiger Woods in his category as a player who has reached the unique milestone of 80+ career wins. “
Just because a PAC supports an idea doesn't automatically whitewash it, though it's not expected to face any backlash. The PAC is a 16-player team consisting of members from the various divisions of the previous season's FedEx Cup standings. It includes the likes of Max Homa and Scottie Scheffler as well as lower-ranked players like Josh Teater and Kevin Streelman. If a PAC supports something, usually the travel membership supports it. First comes the formal recommendation, and then the Policy Board votes on it. That's coming this week.
The Tour Policy Board, which has held various meetings to decide its future – including some with the Saudi Public Investment fund – will use the final signature event of the year, the Travelers Championship, to take a closer look at what it wants to look like. as in the year 2025. (Woods himself is a member of the Policy Board, but is expected to abstain from the vote.) If the Lifetime Achievement category is approved, it would be implemented as early as 2025, although it is unclear whether Woods' exemption would apply to The Sentry, the annual season-kicking event held in Hawaii in January, which strictly includes the previous season's tournament winners and the top 50 finishers in the FedEx Cup.
The release clause is only relevant if Woods uses it. He mentioned in December his intentions that if he is healthy, he would play one tournament a month in 2024, but he failed to do so. Due to timing, rust or health issues, Woods has played only one Signature Event this season, the one he hosted at Riviera Country Club in February. (He eventually withdrew early in his first round battling flu-like symptoms.) The only other tournaments he played in 2024 were the first two majors of the year, finishing 60th at the Masters and missing the cut at the PGA Championship. Woods made his career by winning the most events he could have been exempt from, winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational eight times and the Memorial Championship five times.
Additional Signature Event topics will be discussed at Tuesday's meeting, notably establishing at least 72 competitors who advance and use the cut in every Signature Event, or eliminate the cut in all.
According to the newspaper, the Signature Event Program is designed with “a field size suitable for 72 players,” and while, on average, tournaments have seen that number. qualify to play, only 68 to 70 players participated. In other words, through injury or carelessness or busyness, etc. a few places in the 20 million races were not used. In most cases, the final field consisted of 69 players, leaving one professional to compete alone during the tournament. The PAC is looking to avoid that as it has supported the creation of an alternate roster (based on that season's FedEx Cup standings) that can fill the field to 72 players (excluding The Sentry) whenever eligible players are unavailable. play. That will be voted on at Tuesday's meeting, and approval will begin in 2025.
As for the cut at Signature Events? The discussion is ongoing, and there will be no conclusion until at least next week. This year's three Signature Events – the Genesis Invitational, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial – set the field after 36 holes. The other five did not. The players in the Advisory Council, according to the newspaper, agreed that it should be consistent – be it a cut or a reduction – to make it easier for fans to follow the tour. A reduction in Signature Events is expected to be discussed at Tuesday's meeting but cannot be voted on in any position.
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