On Thursday, the U.S. Open granted a special exemption to legendary golfer Tiger Woods. The exemption assures that Woods, who hasn’t missed on merit since the mid-1990s, will play yet again in the grand slam event this year.
“Tiger Woods is getting a special exemption to the U.S. Open next month at Pinehurst No. 2,” reporter Jeff Eisenband posted on X.
Eisenband added, “The last time Tiger Woods was not exempt from the U.S. Open on merit was 1994.”
JUST IN: @TigerWoods is getting a special exemption to the @usopengolf next month at Pinehurst No. 2.
The last time Tiger Woods was not exempt into the U.S. Open on merit was 1994. pic.twitter.com/7DAQIlGFBI
— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) May 2, 2024
Among the decisions that the USGA could have made here, this is probably the best of the best. Given Woods’ status in the game and the world, it makes no sense to try and deter him from the game, or in this case, one of the game’s biggest and most notable events.
So the PGA Tour made the right move, basically.
Woods has won 82 PGA Tour events, tied for the most all-time. He’s won 15 major championships and the U.S. Open three times. His wins in the event came in 2000, 2002, and the legendary performance in 2008. His last major championship was his unforgettable 2019 Masters victory.
Woods was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2021.
Tiger didn’t play spectacularly in the Masters, as he posted one of the worst marks of his career. But perhaps this time around, down in Pinehurst, Woods can hold up a bit better and remind everyone why he is such a legend in the game of golf.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022