Biased Tiger Woods Move Is Final Nail in Coffin of ‘Meritocracy’ Within the PGA Tour; Here’s Why

What sets the PGA Tour apart from LIV Golf? Money? Format? Well, both! The Saudi-backed LIV Golf often prioritizes financial incentives over players’ performance. Its no-cut format spanned over 54 holes where every player is awarded a share of the lucrative prize money is indeed distinct. Contrarily, the PGA Tour rewards players based on their achievements and performance. The players who play on the weekend are the only ones who walk home with a share of the prize money. PGA Tour’s Jay Monahan loudly sang the “meritocracy” song during this year’s PLAYERS Championship, only to disregard it a couple of months later.

Tiger Woods received a special exemption for the 124th US Open. After all, he is one of the most celebrated golfers to ever step foot on the greens. And if reports are to be believed, Jay Monahan is planning to make another intriguing decision that will favor the 82x Tour winner in a very significant manner. What sets this apart is that it may challenge the notion of “true competitive meritocracy.”

Jay Monahan plans to offer special invitations to Tiger Woods for signature events

A special exemption to Pinehurst, despite average play this season seemed reasonable given Woods’s three national championship wins, nine career USGA titles, and 82 PGA Tour victories. However, it doesn’t stop there. Recently, Golf.com’s Sean Zak reported that the PGA Tour plans to extend a special invitation to Woods for its $20 million signature events. The Tour Policy Board will review this proposal next week during a regular meeting at the Travelers Championship.

This comes as a surprise to many, especially given Jay Monahan’s statement from THE PLAYERS this year: “We’ve listened closely to our fans and players to create a new schedule and competitive structure that is more compelling, all while maintaining what makes the PGA TOUR so very special, a true competitive meritocracy.” Yet, at the same time, Monahan is offering special treatment to Woods, seemingly contradicting his own words considering Woods has been falling short in delivering ideal performances recently.

In his first official PGA Tour start at the Genesis Invitational since last year’s Masters where he WD because of Plantar Fascitis pain, the golfer again withdrew citing Influenza. At this year’s Masters, he achieved his worst finish to date. Later, at the PGA Championship, the pro once again fell short and missed the cut. Even at the ongoing US Open, he shot 74, and 73 on Thursday and Friday, ultimately missing the cut.

The 48-year-old golfer has reduced his appearances on the greens since his near-fatal car accident in 2021. He has participated in just eight official PGA Tour events since then. Despite his plans to compete in one event per month, his declining health has prevented him from doing so, and his full participation has been limited to just majors.

Signature events have limited field, and if Tiger Woods is guaranteed a spot in every tournament and he fails to compete in it, it could mean that another more deserving professional might miss out on the opportunity. So, the new decision seems to be more on a preferential basis, rather than merit. When the concept of signature events was put forth, it garnered a lot of negative reactions from certain golfers.

Golfers like Lanto Griffin voiced their frustration and said, “I go play Torrey Pines with 156 players and a cut, and Rory goes to L.A. the next week in a 78 players, no-cut field, and he gets nearly three times the points for the same finish. How is one going to compete with that?” The signature events offer higher purse and higher FedEx points, and the irony here is that the field is limited. Lucas Glover also did not support the signature event, and said, “We’re touting ourselves as the best Tour in the world, so why wouldn’t you reward the best 125 guys and let them play in your biggest events?”

When talking about special exemptions during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the Tour extended some special invites to Adam Scott, Webb Simpson, and Peter Malnati. Why? Well, just because they are members of the Tour’s Policy Board. An unnamed golfer expressed his disbelief about the golfers who are not even in the top 200 getting special invites to signature events and said, “It seems like collusion, a political game that should never happen on Tour. It’s very shady, if you ask me.” Another golfer questioned the instance and said that it “doesn’t pass the smell test” and questioned the PGA Tour’s meritocracy.

Later, as Adam Scott attempted to qualify for the US Open, it was assumed he might receive a special invite for the major as well. This led to furious reactions from fans, with many arguing that “many more deserving than he in LIV.”

Recently, Tiger Woods assumed the role of Vice Chairman of PGA Tour Enterprises and has been playing an integral role in the merger alongside Rory McIlroy. Could this mean that Woods is now among the officials receiving special treatment? It’s hard to say! Speaking of special treatment, Woods and McIlroy were also recently rewarded for their loyalty to the Tour which eventually triggered some outrage.

How did Tiger Woods’s and McIlroy’s paydays trigger outrage?

In April of this year, reports indicated that Tiger Woods would receive $100 million as compensation for his loyalty to the PGA Tour. There were similar reports about Rory McIlroy, but in his case, the amount was half of Woods’s, specifically $50 million. This was offered to the four-time major champion as an incentive for not joining the Saudi-backed league.

There was considerable speculation about this incident because, at the time, Monahan was actively keeping the distribution of awards for golfers confidential. Subsequently, it was revealed that “approximately two-thirds of that figure will be divvied up as equity to 193 golfers” and that the allocation of the $750 million among the top 36 golfers would be based on perceived merit. According to the reports, it was verified that Woods and McIlroy will receive the majority of the reward, suggesting a substantial difference in what will be offered to other golfers.

After learning about this situation, Andrew Johnston voiced his disappointment and subsequently shared his frustration with The Mirror. Initially, he made a direct comparison, questioning the distinction between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, stating, “I’m starting to wonder how the PGA Tour differs from LIV Golf.” In addition, he pointed out that when LIV Golf emerged, Jay Monahan emphasized that his Tour prided itself on meritocracy, offering clear paths for players and rewarding them based on their performances.

However, the PGA Tour has now mirrored LIV’s actions by allocating “$100 million for Tiger, $50 million for Rory, $30 million each for Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.” Johnston later criticized this, highlighting its negative impact on golf, stating “It’s madness, man. Everything has just become about rewarding the top end of the game and it’s come about because of the divide. It is so damaging for our sport.” Highlighting the rivalry between leagues, Monahan is now also leaning on financial incentives to retain professionals, regardless of their performances.

Do you believe something similar is happening again? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!