Tiger Woods Is Not Exempt for the U.S. Open, But That's Easily Fixed

The three-time U.S. Open winner isn't automatically in a major field for the first time since 1996.

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There was a good bit of cautious optimism coming out of the Bahamas after Tiger Woods returned for the first time since having to withdraw from the Masters in April and later having ankle surgery.

Although he finished just 18th out of 20 players, Woods generally looked good, managing to walk better at any time since returning from his February 2021 car crash.

Completing 72 holes was probably the biggest accomplishment, with the scores secondary. But for the week he made 19 birdies, showed power off the tee and simply was rusty. It would have been more than understandable if he fared far worse.

Tiger Woods looked strong physically at his Hero World Challenge earlier this month :: Fernando Llano/AP

Woods was pleased enough with his progress that even prior to the tournament he was much more confident about resuming his career in 2024 on a limited basis.

"I think the best scenario would be maybe a tournament a month," Woods said. “I think that's realistic whether that's—you would have to start with maybe at Genesis (in February) and something in March near The Players. Again, we have set up right now the biggest events are one per month. It sets itself up for that. Now, I need to get myself ready for all that."

Woods is suggesting the Genesis Invitational, perhaps the Players Championship and then the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and British Open. All are spaced roughly a month apart. Time to rest after an event and gear up for the next one without taxing his lower right leg too much.

There’s one problem, and it is admittedly an administrative issue that could be resolved in five minutes.

Woods is not exempt for the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.

It will be the first time since the 1996 PGA Championship, when Woods was still an amateur, that he won’t be exempt for a major championship. (This is assuming that Woods is unable to make his way into the top 60 in the Official World Golf Ranking by late spring.)

When he won the 2019 Masters, Woods got five years in the U.S. Open, which included that year and ended after last year’s tournament. He has not played in the U.S. Open since missing the cut at Winged Foot in 2020.

He is exempt in the Masters and PGA Championship for life and the British Open through age 60.

But here is what will happen and the United States Golf Association could easily just do it now, though will likely go through some protocols first: grant Woods a special exemption.

It’s been done numerous times over the years, starting with Ben Hogan in 1966, with the last one given to Phil Mickelson in 2021—just before he won the PGA Championship and made the special invite unnecessary.

Jack Nicklaus received a record eight special exemptions. Arnold Palmer got five.

Woods, a nine-time USGA champion—three U.S. Juniors, three U.S. Amateurs, three U.S. Opens—should get as many as he wants.

It’s unclear if Woods has to formally apply for one but that should not be necessary. The USGA has its annual meeting in February and might take up the issue then. Or it could wait to see how Woods performs and waits to get a better indication from him as to his intentions.

But if Woods wants to play and is able to do so, there is not much more of a lock than this special exemption. He returns to action this week with his son Charlie at the PNC Championship, a 36-hole event.