In the world of professional golf, which has a long history of operating as a prestigious privilege where offers are few and far between, sponsor exemptions can be a difficult topic – especially since the emergence of the limited, uncut field Signature Events, boasting $20 million purses.
Signature Events now form an integral part of the Tour calendar, and getting into the arena can be a daunting prospect. Unless, of course, you are given an exemption from the sponsor.
In regular PGA Tour events, sponsor exemptions (usually four) are usually awarded to whoever the tournament sponsor deems worthy of entry. That could be a “qualified” professional who is otherwise qualified for this forum, a local or a novice who wants to visit, or a celebrity. PGA Tour Signature Events can also designate four sponsor exemptions, but they must be PGA Tour members. Otherwise, there is no set method to choose. This policy – or perhaps the lack of it – has caused controversy over the past few years. In the 2024 Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the players considered three of the four exemptions – Peter Malnati, Webb Simpson and Adam Scott – were members of the PGA Tour board. At the time, Malnati and Simpson’s world rankings were 245 and 225, respectively.
In your mind, the sponsor’s exemption is intended to give a foothold to the climbers or a chance to play for other deserving ones. There have been many players over the years who have used sponsorship exemptions as a way to launch their professional careers, including Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. In October, Michael Brennan won the Bank of Utah Championship as a sponsor exemption in his third PGA Tour start. President Trump’s grandson, Kai Trump, was given a sponsor’s exemption from the Annika stadium last fall, although his inclusion caused a lot of media coverage, interest and spectators of the tournament, which is what tournament organizers and sponsors usually expect with these invitations.
So which players are the best fit for this coveted release? That discussion is ongoing, with many valid arguments on all sides. And at this week’s Valspar Championship, two-time major champion Justin Thomas is the latest entry into the fray.
Why you should never feel guilty about accepting a sponsor’s exemption, according to a star athlete who did it
By:
James Colgan
Thomas has been one of the best players in the world for more than a decade, but a slump in 2023 pushed him outside the FedEx Cup top 70 for the first time in his career, and his World Ranking dropped outside the top 30 for several weeks. All of a sudden he found himself outside watching events from which he was never released.
“It was very stressful,” Thomas said Wednesday in Florida. “But I’m also very proud that I, it was a big thing for me that I didn’t have to rely on one exemption that year. I played my way into all of them. That was my main goal. Because, first of all, I hated to ask, but I asked. It’s like I’m not ashamed or I’m not ashamed more than that. I mean, these tournaments wanted to play in many tournaments. And to say that, yes, if you need it, we will have it but I didn’t get an exemption from others, so you know that I needed to play with them, it was comforting, but it was also good for me.
Although Thomas expressed pride in his ability to avoid using the exemption to enter the industry, he said he can see both sides of the issue.
“It’s hard, man, because I understand the argument, you know, giving the same guys, whatever. But how are you going to tell a company that’s putting on 15, 20, 20 million dollars that they’re not going to have someone in the tournament because they feel like it’s better for ratings and better for ticket sales and better for the event as a whole.
“But I think the sponsorship exemption is part of — I mean, it’s a big part,” he continued. “What, you’re going to tell Tiger Woods he can play if he wants to play? Like, I’m sorry, but you’re an idiot if you think that. Like, he needs to play in whatever he wants to play in, and that’s better for the golf tournament and the game of golf. So it’s hard to predict how well he’ll do, but we’re working on it, I’m working on it.”
Fortunately for Thomas, his ranking is back to No. 14, and he has found his way back into the winner’s circle at last year’s RBC Heritage, Signature Event.
