Jay Monahan Says Tiger Woods ‘Would Be The Hardest One To Convince’ For A Special Exemption For The Players

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan made a bold claim regarding Tiger Woods. The commissioner stated that it would require extra effort and convincing to persuade Tiger Woods into agreeing to a player exemption from the Players Championship, who’s not otherwise eligible for the tournament. Even the rules remain the same for the former Players’ winners. This could have applied to Tiger Woods as well, who has not participated in many events this year and withdrew from the Genesis Invitational, but his triumph at the 2019 Masters secured him a place in the field. 

Moreover, this was Woods’ last year of exemption and from next year on, he’ll have to either win a PGA Tour event or a major title or come within the top 125 of the FedEx Cup list to get a chance in the field of Players. Although, last week, it was learned that Woods disengaged himself from the field of the Players Championship. Since Woods won’t be playing, does that mean he’ll provide an exemption to a past champion? Jay Monahan seems to disagree.

Jay Monahan Reflects On Tiger Woods’ Excuse About Not Providing A Players Exemption 

Monahan started the interview by talking about how competitive Woods is by nature:

“I think you all know Tiger well enough to know that he wants to earn his way into all of – into every competition. That’s his makeup.” 

Added to that, he continued,

“I think as you go forward and as you evolve as an organization and you think about how do you serve and satisfy a rabid fan base, those discussions more broadly would likely be held at the Policy Board meeting, and I’m sure we would have that discussion. But he would be the hardest one to convince.”

Jay Monahan says Tiger wants to earn his way into every competition. pic.twitter.com/4XZyAWpKsC

— TWLEGION (@TWlegion) March 12, 2024

It was been anticipated that Woods would play in the 2024 Players Championship as he prepared for the Masters Tournament. But being listed at 144 on the field served as a perfect reason to skip the event. 

Woods’ most recent appearance was at the Genesis Invitational, where he withdrew due to underlying flu symptoms and after that, he participated in the Seminole Pro-Member event. But the promise of participating in atleast one event per month by the golf legend, seems like a dream now. 

His next appearance might be at the Augusta National, from where he withdrew due to reaggravated plantar fasciitis. Thus, it is to be seen if Woods can add another major to his name or make the most of it at the Masters. The golf world awaits to watch Tiger reincarnate and triumph in an event. 

About the author

Suchita Chakraborty

Suchita Chakraborty is a senior golf writer at The SportsRush. She did her post-graduation at St. Xavier's University. For a year now, she has developed a riveting inclination toward golf, with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy being her top-tier motivational figures to indulge in the sport. She even lives by the words of the Hall of Famer, "You can always become better", which impels her to excel every day. Her strong suit in golf is covering the LPGA Tour, especially the nooks and crannies of the international event, the Solheim Cup. As a pastime amusement, Suchita also engages herself in reading about golf controversies. Her favorite pick is ‘LIV and Let Die’ by Alan Shipnuck, which covers the PGA-LIV beef.

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