PGA Tour Pro Accuses Webb Simpson of Taking Undue Advantage as ‘Exemptions’ Controversy Drags On

Webb Simpson’s name has once again been dragged into the spotlight. Sadly enough, the reason for this public attention is not a win. Instead, it is the lack thereof. Many eyebrows have been raised about how the PGA Tour Board Member has managed to get sponsor invites into four signature events despite not being on his A-game. What was first seen in the form of his T39 finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am seems to have become a trend. How else would one explain his T30, T42, and T24 finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, RBC Heritage, and Wells Fargo Championship, respectively, all of which are signature events he received special invites?

While many have opined that the top position holder has been stealing spots from new talent by performing rather insignificantly at the events he was made a part of, others, like Dylan Wu, opted to award the 38-year-old with a lashing. Talking of Simpson and the overload of exemptions he has been getting blessed with lately, the PGA Tour pro tweeted, “He’s definitely played fine and deserves all the invites he gets as a great player and major champion. It would be nice if him and Adam Scott played more events and didn’t surround their schedule based on getting exemptions. Like play your way into these events before exemptions.”

Getting exemptions is not the only thing that Simpson has been in the news for. He proposed a proposition wherein he mentioned that he would step down from his post as Player Director only if a Northern Irishman took his place. He did that because he knew how important McIlroy’s role would be in taking the $3 billion merger to the finish line. However, when the voting for the same happened, McIlroy could not find his way back to the board, and as a result, Simpson’s spot was safe until 2025.

Even though Wu made sure to acknowledge Simpson as the great player he is, he also brought light to the need for polished players like Webb Simpson and Adam Scott to line up their schedules based on merit and not exceptions. But is this the first time that Wu’s radar has signaled upon player directors? Well no! Wu shared his “suspect” when Simpson received an exemption to compete at Bay Hill.

Rolling back to Dylan Wu’s continued critique of the interplay between player directors and sponsor exemptions

Among the few people who have been cognizant of the bizarre awarding of sponsor exemptions to this season’s elevated events is Dylan Wu. While outside the top 100 currently, in terms of the OWGR, Wu has not shied away from using his voice to bring attention to problematic arenas.

Long back in March, during the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Wu had noticed this discrepancy. At the time, he remarked, “Great players and major champions. I can’t say much because I missed the cut hard this week, but getting more than one sponsor exemption for elevated events doesn’t seem fair. It seems like if you’re a player director, you’ll get an invite to an elevated event. Seems suspect…..”

It remains to be seen whether the lashing from fans and fellow pros alike will change the existing trend of sponsor invites being awarded to pros like Webb Simpson or not. It remains fairly certain that pros like Dylan Wu will leave no stone unturned to turn golf back to its golden era.