Tiger Woods Accepts Exemption To United States Open Championship At Pinehurst

[bscinstnct]

 

[redfirebird08]

On 4/15/2024 at 1:00 AM, grm24 said:

 

There will be some that complain about Tiger getting a special exemption to the US Open. Here is a list from the USGA of players receiving special exemptions to the US Open over the years. FWIW Jack received 8 special exemptions to the US Open. Arnie and Tom Watson both received 5.

 

https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/media/online-media-center/usga-records/u-s--open--special-exemptions.html

 

Here is a list of players receiving multiple exemptions.

 

 

 

 

 

Well here we go. USGA has officially announced the Special Exemption for Tiger. Saw people on Twitter making fun of Talor Gooch, lol

 

 

[Titleist99]

14 minutes ago, redfirebird08 said:

 

 

Well here we go. USGA has officially announced the Special Exemption for Tiger. Saw people on Twitter making fun of Talor Gooch, lol

 

 

Gooch is the best player on the 54League. No invite is totally disrespectful....🤣

[redfirebird08]

9 minutes ago, Titleist99 said:

Gooch is the best player on the 54League. No invite is totally disrespectful....🤣

 

I saw Gooch is refusing to even bother with the open qualifying process. That seems like a weird choice. If he's such an awesome player, it should be a pretty easy deal for him to make it through qualifying.

 

Once you get into the U.S. Open, you have a chance to earn a 10-year exemption with a victory...plus a 5-year exemption for the other 3 majors. And if you finish 2nd to 10th place you get an automatic spot in the 2025 U.S. Open. 

[Chunkitgood]

They can do what they want, don’t really care, but it seems the business needs to wean itself off of Woods.

 

On second thought, I do care a little, he’s a distraction and his presence will take away from the event for the first two days.  It’ll be even worse if he makes the cut.  I doubt any of the others were more than passing nods to former greatness when given exemptions, whereas Woods will still take all the air out of the room.  
 

If he wins…I will be duly humbled.  But the fact that give any consideration to the chance he might win is why he shouldn’t have been invited.

[redfirebird08]

9 minutes ago, Chunkitgood said:

They can do what they want, don’t really care, but it seems the business needs to wean itself off of Woods.

 

On second thought, I do care a little, he’s a distraction and his presence will take away from the event for the first two days.  It’ll be even worse if he makes the cut.  I doubt any of the others were more than passing nods to former greatness when given exemptions, whereas Woods will still take all the air out of the room.  
 

If he wins…I will be duly humbled.  But the fact that give any consideration to the chance he might win is why he shouldn’t have been invited.

 

If he plays as poorly as you are expecting, you won't see any of him on the weekend. He'll either miss the cut or finish his rounds very early before the main TV coverage starts in the afternoon on Saturday & Sunday. 

 

That said, the man has finished Top 3 on multiple occasions at Pinehurst. If everything goes right for him, he could finish Top 20 there. Would be pretty wild if he can finish Top 10 and legitimately earn a spot in the 2025 U.S. Open without any kind of special invitation next year. 

[bscinstnct]

 

[CDM]

38 minutes ago, Titleist99 said:

Gooch is the best player on the 54League. No invite is totally disrespectful....🤣

 

FINALLY......someone posts the truth.....!!!!  😂

[CDM]

14 minutes ago, Chunkitgood said:

They can do what they want, don’t really care, but it seems the business needs to wean itself off of Woods.

 

On second thought, I do care a little, he’s a distraction and his presence will take away from the event for the first two days.  It’ll be even worse if he makes the cut.  I doubt any of the others were more than passing nods to former greatness when given exemptions, whereas Woods will still take all the air out of the room.  
 

If he wins…I will be duly humbled.  But the fact that give any consideration to the chance he might win is why he shouldn’t have been invited.

 

2 minutes ago, redfirebird08 said:

 

If he plays as poorly as you are expecting, you won't see any of him on the weekend. He'll either miss the cut or finish his rounds very early before the main TV coverage starts in the afternoon on Saturday & Sunday. 

 

That said, the man has finished Top 3 on multiple occasions at Pinehurst. If everything goes right for him, he could finish Top 20 there. Would be pretty wild if he can finish Top 10 and legitimately earn a spot in the 2025 U.S. Open without any kind of special invitation next year. 

 

He was the best, but his time has passed him by and as many say there are some really good young players out there.  They need to focus on those players, to find that next "draw".   

 

Sucking the room out the air is sooo true.  The masters early round broadcasts on the weekend was Tiger 60% of the time   I recorded it since I was playing and but got tired of it and fast forwarded through half of it to ge to when he was done.   

 

Pinehurst No.2 IMHO is pretty flat, so it might be easier to walk.  I think if it is hot during the event it will be pretty tough on hiim as the heat with hunidity in Pinehurst can wear you down sometimes.  

[MrDC]

Hardy a surprise, he was always going, and none will complain, the guy won it 3 times.
 

[bscinstnct]

36 minutes ago, Chunkitgood said:

They can do what they want, don’t really care, but it seems the business needs to wean itself off of Woods.

 

On second thought, I do care a little, he’s a distraction and his presence will take away from the event for the first two days.  It’ll be even worse if he makes the cut.  I doubt any of the others were more than passing nods to former greatness when given exemptions, whereas Woods will still take all the air out of the room.  
 

If he wins…I will be duly humbled.  But the fact that give any consideration to the chance he might win is why he shouldn’t have been invited.

 

You don’t really think TW should not have been invited do you?

 

Jack got 8 exemption invites to the US Open. 

 

 

[mosesgolf]

Jack Nicklaus 1998 Masters & Tom Watson 2009 Open are good reasons why you never count out the best of their generations.  Tiger doesn't tee it up unless he thinks he can win.  Imo he still can and so do millions of others.

[Socrates]

1 hour ago, Chunkitgood said:

They can do what they want, don’t really care, but it seems the business needs to wean itself off of Woods.

 

On second thought, I do care a little, he’s a distraction and his presence will take away from the event for the first two days.  It’ll be even worse if he makes the cut.  I doubt any of the others were more than passing nods to former greatness when given exemptions, whereas Woods will still take all the air out of the room.  
 

If he wins…I will be duly humbled.  But the fact that give any consideration to the chance he might win is why he shouldn’t have been invited.

I think you could say that for many of the Greats who had no chance of winning.  Nicklaus, Palmer, Player, Trevino, etc...  I guess they were all distractions and shouldn't have gotten exemptions either. 

 

Whether you like it or not, he still drives the PR machine for the Tour.  As such, it would be a complete whiff (which the USGA would get crucified for) if they didn't give Tiger an exemption.

[widow-maker]

If anybody deserves an exemption to a Major it's Tiger Woods.  82 Tour wins, 15 Majors.  Who has a better record than that?  Talor Gooch had 1 tour win.  Sure, give him the exemption instead. 

[subrew]

Bummer.  I'd rather they invite Nelly.

[m d g]

3 hours ago, Titleist99 said:

Gooch is the best player on the 54League. No invite is totally disrespectful....🤣

 

Where's my exemption?

 

I'm the best player in my Thursday night Wine O'Clock league.

 

I beat Bill 'Footwedge' Simmons 3 & 2 even after he claimed a hole from me because I forgot to take a shot on the tee after my birdie on 4.

 

There is no justice in the world...

[redfirebird08]

2 hours ago, CDM said:

 

 

He was the best, but his time has passed him by and as many say there are some really good young players out there.  They need to focus on those players, to find that next "draw".   

 

Sucking the room out the air is sooo true.  The masters early round broadcasts on the weekend was Tiger 60% of the time   I recorded it since I was playing and but got tired of it and fast forwarded through half of it to ge to when he was done.   

 

Pinehurst No.2 IMHO is pretty flat, so it might be easier to walk.  I think if it is hot during the event it will be pretty tough on hiim as the heat with hunidity in Pinehurst can wear you down sometimes.  

Hot weather is probably better for Tiger. He really struggles with cold weather, unable to get his creaky old back loosened up in the colder weather. 

[TheMoneyShot]

Good on you USGA👍👊

[tiderider]

4 hours ago, redfirebird08 said:

 

I saw Gooch is refusing to even bother with the open qualifying process. That seems like a weird choice. If he's such an awesome player, it should be a pretty easy deal for him to make it through qualifying.

 

Once you get into the U.S. Open, you have a chance to earn a 10-year exemption with a victory...plus a 5-year exemption for the other 3 majors. And if you finish 2nd to 10th place you get an automatic spot in the 2025 U.S. Open. 

maybe them irons ain't as good as advertised ... 

 

 

dub deserves an exemption till he's 50, at least ... it's literally what exemptions are for ... 

Edited May 3 by tiderider

[TiScape]

Ta*lor Gooch.

[bobfoster]

1 minute ago, TiScape said:

Ta*lor Gooch.

🤣 I see what you did there.

[TiScape]

3 hours ago, bscinstnct said:

 

You don’t really think TW should not have been invited do you?

 

Jack got 8 exemption invites to the US Open. 

 

 

Getting to watch a living legend play and watching the US OPEN! Win/win to me. Adds, not detracts from the event IMO. Just entertainment to me. But hey, different strokes 😊

[GrandStranded]

5 hours ago, bscinstnct said:

 

Imagine if someone told you 15 years ago this would be a hing? So sad to see what he did to himself.

[GrandStranded]

3 hours ago, mosesgolf said:

Jack Nicklaus 1998 Masters & Tom Watson 2009 Open are good reasons why you never count out the best of their generations.  Tiger doesn't tee it up unless he thinks he can win.  Imo he still can and so do millions of others.

😂😂😂😂

[bscinstnct]

7 minutes ago, GrandStranded said:

Imagine if someone told you 15 years ago this would be a hing? So sad to see what he did to himself.

 

Yeah looks miserable 🤣

 

 

[GrandStranded]

3 minutes ago, bscinstnct said:

 

Yeah looks miserable 🤣

 

 

He was on the show playing the huckster role  in order to push his clothing line.  
So sad.

[GrandStranded]

That Sun Day Red line looks pretty good though.

[peadar]

29 minutes ago, GrandStranded said:

That Sun Day Red line looks pretty good though.

The green hoodie looks 🔥

[3whacker]

my early prediction is that 15 year old Miles Russell not only qualifies but will make the cut

[bobfoster]

5 hours ago, Socrates said:

6 hours ago, Chunkitgood said:

They can do what they want, don’t really care, but it seems the business needs to wean itself off of Woods.

 

On second thought, I do care a little, he’s a distraction and his presence will take away from the event for the first two days.  It’ll be even worse if he makes the cut.  I doubt any of the others were more than passing nods to former greatness when given exemptions, whereas Woods will still take all the air out of the room.  
 

If he wins…I will be duly humbled.  But the fact that give any consideration to the chance he might win is why he shouldn’t have been invited.

I think you could say that for many of the Greats who had no chance of winning.  Nicklaus, Palmer, Player, Trevino, etc...  I guess they were all distractions and shouldn't have gotten exemptions either. 

 

Whether you like it or not, he still drives the PR machine for the Tour.  As such, it would be a complete whiff (which the USGA would get crucified for) if they didn't give Tiger an exemption.

 

One of the things I've always loved about golf is how it honors traditions. Have been a fan for many years. (I actually got to see Ben Hogan play in person - my Dad was a big golf fan.) Have watched several generations of Greats. In every generation one or two stand out, well above the pack. Had nearly transformative effects on the game. And one of the very unusual things about golf (that no sport other than maybe bowling shares) is that great pros can still play a reasonably competitive game well into their 50s. And the sport honors it's Greats by allowing them to play (especially in the majors) for pretty much as long as they want to. 

 

Golf doesn't need to "wean" itself off of Woods, as it didn't need to wean itself off of Arnie, or Jack, or Tom. These people weren't, and Tiger isn't, "distractions".  They are legends. They were all extended invitations by the majors not only as an acknowledgement for their contributions to the game, but because (like it or not) a lot of fans still love (and loved) watching them, and because the current up and coming players love playing with them. The youngest generation on tour grew up watching (and being inspired by) Tiger as kids. Imagine BSing with him in the locker room, or even being in a group with him. 

 

And, sports is, by definition, an entertainment business.  It makes money through viewership. And (again, like it or not), even though he is no longer Tiger-in-his-prime, he still will have some of the biggest (if not the biggest) galleries at the US Open, and Nielson numbers still jump when he's in the field. 

 

I remember when he first hit the Tour. He positively electrified the game. And his record is nearly inconceivable. He truly is a GOAT. And just as I still remember being ten years old and getting to see Hogan play (even though he didn't win), this year's US Open will also have ten year old kids grateful for the chance to say they saw Tiger play. 

 

And while Tiger could no longer consistently win on Tour, and his body is always iffy, there's still remains the chance that the stars might align to produce a genuinely memorable Black Swan event - Tom Watson very nearly won The Open, at 59 years old. 

 

Golf honors it's true legends. I love that. It is nearly laughable to hear people say that Tiger is a "distraction", but that it's an insult that freaking Talor Gooch wasn't invited - a guy who won exactly  once on the PGAT, but is now apparently at the top of the YouTube exhibition tour, that plays 54 hole tournaments, in shorts, to blaring music, with participation prizes. He's not only (literally) not in the same league as Tiger, he's not even in the same universe. 

 

I love the game of golf. Have been playing it (and watching it) for over five decades. It has been my great privilege to have gotten watch Tiger throughout his entire career. He changed the game. He changed how I, personally, think about my own game (as he has done for countless other amateurs). I understand he is in the twilight of his career, and the chances to see him play will be fewer and fewer as these years pass, but yeah, I'll still watch him (and root for him) every time he tees it up.  

 

 

Edited May 3 by bobfoster