The Genesis Invitational is one of the five events that have been granted invitational status on the PGA Tour. This means the field is reduced and the prize money is pronounced, which further means the returns for participating in such a tournament are very high. Therefore, solely getting to participate is a huge deal for players.

This illustrious event is hosted by Tiger Woods. The signature event directly benefits his foundation, thus, the 15-time major winner has a say in granting exemptions. The Florida resident went with a very unexpected choice for this year’s event happening at the Torrey Pines Golf Course. Yeah, not the esteemed Riviera because of the LA Fires.

Jordan Spieth is one of four players handed special exemptions by Woods to play the prestigious event. The 31-year-old who is back after wrist surgery featured in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. But to the fans’ disappointment, Spieth finished T69, with a par score over the four days. Last year, Spieth was disqualified from the event after the second round because of signing a wrong scorecard. The other three exemptions are Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose, and Gary Woodland.

Spieth is coming back from an injury and despite a rocky start to his 2025 season at Pebble Beach, the 3-time major winner showed good resilience. On the final day, starting at 5 over par, he slotted in 5 birdies to score par. He is showing promising signs of returning to his old form and maybe the exemption could prove to be the turning point he needed.

One thing is clear though, the majority of the fans are not happy with Spieth being handed the exemption.

Fans react to Jordan Spieth’s exemption

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“Haves vs have nots. Spieth loses his card this year without free points in elevated events,” tweeted one angry fan. One fan let his thoughts out loud without any cover. He felt that there were much better uses of the exemption than wasting on Spieth, who has yet to show his previous form. “What a waste of an exemption.” Spieth was once a force to be reckoned with on the greens but for some time now, he has not been doing so well. His last win was the 2022 RBC Heritage.

One fan thinks that Norwegian Kristoffer Ventura, who finished T4 at the recently concluded Farmers Insurance Open at the same course, would have been more deserving of the exemption. “As a Norwegian, I think it would give Kris Ventura a boost with an exemption.” For up-and-coming stars like Ventura, a signature event would be the ideal spot to improve their talent.

The incredulity of the exemption also makes it feel like Spieth is taking the easy way out. The lack of effort on his part feels like he has given up on fighting, and one fan was quick to point that out. “He’s fallen that far? Is he going to kill the next 15 years waiting out the Champions tour? Wow.”

The Boys Club rumors found prevalence during the 2023 Ryder Cup selection. A special section of golfers including Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, and a few others were considered looking after themselves rather than keeping the interests of the whole Team USA in mind. This rumor gained a lot of traction when the Team USA captain Zach Johnson chose Justin Thomas for the team ahead of the more in-form and dependable Keegan Bradley. Rickie Fowler also earned the Captain’s trust as he was picked despite being outside the Top 12. Team USA ended up losing to Team Europe in Rome leading to several miffed fans terming the decision to include friends over in-form golfers as the reason for the loss.

The fans on X believed that the power group came into play again and that is the reason why Jordan Spieth got his exemption. “And ‘The Boys Club’ continues!” Another fan added to the thought and asked if Rickie Fowler, another member of the supposed ‘Boys Club’ got an exemption. “Did Ricky Fowler get one as well?” We all know now, that he did.

Do you think it was right on Tiger Woods’s side to exempt Spieth? Let me know your thoughts!