These things are the result of recency bias joining forces with a sports idol and the overabundance of media that exists today.
As a result, anyone born after the Baby Boomer generation is likely to believe that something has never been done if Tiger Woods hasn’t done it.
That’s the reason so many people are now aware of the Special Exemption, which has nothing to do with transferable student debt or even the tax rules.
Tiger received an exemption into this year’s U.S. Open, which will be held on the iconic No. 2 course in the North Carolina town of Pinehurst, from June 13–16, from the U.S. Golf Association last week. The headline made longtime spectators and the ever-optimistic following of Tiger fans pause.
Out of the four majors, only the Masters and PGA Championship allow past winners lifelong access. However, they do have the right to give a past winner a “ahem” if their game starts to border on embarrassing.
Although local and regional qualifiers are how about one-third of the 156-player field for the U.S. Open gets in (this is what makes it “Open”), the Open offers other qualifying paths, including a 10-year exemption for the event winner, for the more established players.
Tiger’s 2008 U.S. Open victory exemption ended in 2018 but he maintained automatic entry for another five years with his 2019 Masters win, which carried him through the 2023 U.S. Open, which was the third straight he’d skipped due to ongoing physical issues
And just like that, here we are in the ongoing, unapologetic and undefeated march of Father Time: Tiger needs a special exemption. It’s not like we were gonna see him attempting the one-day, 36-hole qualifier.
While Tiger’s universal fan base might be saddened a bit at reaching this unfortunate milepost, others will suggest this is nothing but a show of favoritism and quite likely just a nod to the broadcasting network and other promoters.