While Tiger Woods has done a lot for the sport, he has not been appearing much in the tournaments lately, and the special exemption will be of any value only if he decides to continue playing. There have been some instances during this year in which Woods can be perceived hinting at his retirement. One such instance would be his statement regarding playing in the FedEx Cup playoffs. “I don’t think even if I win the British Open I don’t think I’ll be in the Playoffs.” He made another statement after the second round’s conclusion of the US Open regarding his participation for the rest of the tournaments of the year. He said, “I’ve only got one more tournament this season,” while implying to this year’s Open Championship. Despite Tiger Woods being one of the GOATs and having achieved so much in the sport, the golf community doesn’t seem to agree with the ‘exemption’ decision of the PGA Tour Policy Board. Even the commissioner of the PGA Tour was bashed for showing his open support for Woods’ exemption.
Jay Monahan slammed for his blatant support of the lifetime exemption decisionOut of the three majors in 2024, Tiger Woods missed the cut in two of them. In the one where he did not miss the cut, he recorded the worst performance of his career at the Masters. Additionally, one fan alluded to the importance of Tiger Woods in the $3 billion merger deal, stating, “So we get to watch Tiger miss the cut multiple times. Monahan and Woods are the main characters blocking a PGAT-LIV agreement/settlement.” Tiger Woods is not only part of the transaction committee that spearheads all negotiations regarding the PIF-PGA Tour merger. Back in March, the 82-time PGA Tour winner also hosted Yasir Al Rummayan in the Bahamas for a meeting regarding the impending deal. In recent times, the PGA Tour’s emphasis on meritocracy has come into question. Whether it is the result of the 2023 Player Impact Program, where Tiger Woods was second on the list after Rory McIlroy and was awarded $12 million, or the allocation of equity to the golfers from the post-SSG merger deal, the recent exemption move has once again shed light on this issue. Mocking this step of the American circuit, a netizen said, “Meritocracy at its finest.” The past couple of years haven’t been easy for the PGA Tour Commissioner. His leadership has come into question ever since the announcement of the $3 billion merger. The dip in viewership ratings of PGA Tour events has acted as fuel to the fire. Even PGA Tour players like Xander Schauffele have gone on record to express their disappointment in the 54-year-old. Another user specifically pointed to Manohan regarding his stance, “Fire monahan then golf heals.” A similar comment said, “Jay has to go.
“Tiger Woods is the most popular name in golf, and he has rightfully achieved that status. With the number of tournaments won and his unique way of playing, nobody could drive it like him, nobody could hit long irons like him, or handle the wedges and the putter like he does. Talking about his first year as a pro in 1996, it took him just 291 days from his first round as a professional to climb to No. 1 in the OWGR, the quickest ascension to the top spot in OWGR history. The GOAT has also won a total of 11 PGA Tour Player of the Year awards. Alluding to his popularity, one user said, “Tiger is not in his in his prime but still draws a crowd. I can see it as a way to heighten exposure and give Tiger a chance to play golf.”
