Tiger Woods was once granted an exemption that no other golfer has access to.

The legendary 15-time major champion is past his best but can still attend certain events whenever he pleases.

Only Jack Nicklaus has won more major championships than Woods. His 82 PGA Tour victories make him one of the most successful players in the sport’s history, with his triumphs spanning over three decades. However, a succession of injuries and surgeries have seen Woods tumble down the rankings and he cannot always qualify for the biggest tournaments automatically.

That is why the PGA Tour agreed a deal for the 49-year-old to have unconditional access to the eight signature events. There are very limited spaces available for these competitions and the prize money is significantly higher than most others.

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The best players in the world flock to the events, but the PGA Tour recognise that Woods has a unique draw for fans. Its board passed a rule to create a ‘lifetime achievement exemption category’ for active players with over 80 career titles.

Woods will have access to the signature events for the rest of his career, if he chooses to enter. He has played on a limited schedule for several years and last participated competitively at the Genesis Invitational in 2024. Achilles surgery is expected to rule Woods out for most of the season.

Former rival Adam Scott recently revealed the tactics Woods would deploy just to brutally hammer home the fact that he was better than everyone else.

“Yeah, I played a bunch with him in practice rounds and stuff. I played a practice round with him that week of The Open at St Andrews in 2000. It was nuts, I was 19,” Scott told YouTuber Grant Horvat.

“Every area of his game was better than everyone else’s. Even his short game was like Phil Mickelson-esque. And then that ran across the board: driving, irons, putting, everything. But then, everything that went on around, the ‘Tiger Mania’ it was called back then, it was just so much. It was so new to golf, or at least [to] me at that point. I just don’t think we’d seen anything like that. It was wild to be around.

“[If you were a threat to him] he would just play games with you [in practice rounds]. He’d hit the wrong club. He’d challenge you. You’d hit a good shot and he’s like, ‘But can you draw it and hold it up against the wind like that?’ And you can’t. Just to make you feel inferior. He was a gamesman, he was the ultimate competitor.”

The Achilles injury has not stopped Tiger Woods from continuing to work on his other ventures outside of competitive golf.

These include golf course design, an activity that Woods and his company, TGR Design, have recently revived.

The 15-time major champion recently released a promotional video showing him at the construction site of his latest project, the Bluejack Ranch golf course in Aledo, Texas. It is a private residential club that will include a golf course among other amenities.

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Woods already designed a course for Bluejack in Montgomery, Texas (Bluejack National), which was built between 2014 and 2016. The start of construction of the new course in Aledo was reported in January this year.

In the video posted by Tiger Woods, it is heard that the new course is designed over 7,500 yards. However, the legendary player predicts that “more length” will continue to be sought as the project progresses.

This video is the third in a series that has been released since last April. However, it ends with the cryptic message “To be continued”, suggesting that there are still new revelations coming.

The project description on TGR Design’s official website highlights the fusion between the surrounding natural beauty and the strategic difficulties that will characterize the course:

“The course will play alongside stunning terrain dotted with rock outcroppings as well as mature oaks and hardwoods that line the numerous creeks running throughout the property that will contrast the open, rolling pastureland for a truly unique and varied experience throughout the round.”

“Wide playing corridors flanked by native grasses and prairie will offer playability throughout the round while also emphasizing shot-making and strategy as multiple routes will be offered from tee to green.”

“The highly strategic nature of the course will be particularly evident in the interesting and bold green contouring that will place a premium on accuracy and precision to score well but maintain playability with low-cut green surrounds that promote creative shot-making and recoveries.”

In addition to Bluejack Ranch, Woods and TGR Design are currently working on three other golf course projects. They are the Marcella Club in Utah, the Trout National – The Reserve in New Jersey, and a nine-hole par-3 in Augusta, Georgia.

To date, the 82-time PGA Tour winner and his design firm have signed the blueprints of 17 golf-related facilities, including golf courses, practice facilities and even eight PopStroke putting courses in Florida, Arizona and Texas.

The PGA Championship is underway at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The world’s top golfers are chasing the second major of the season. All eyes are on Rory McIlroy as he looks to win back-to-back majors.

If not McIlroy, then perhaps Jordan Spieth is drawing attention. The American needs just a PGA Championship win to complete his career Grand Slam.

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But one major name is missing from the field — Tiger Woods. Despite his absence, Woods continues to be a prominent figure in the sport.

On Thursday, Forbes published an updated list of the richest athletes in the world, based on both on-field and off-field earnings.

Woods came in at No. 45 overall, earning an estimated $55.4 million — $40 million of which came off the course. He remains one of the highest-paid golfers in the game. While this is still impressive, in 2002, Woods was the highest-paid athlete in the world. In 2009, Woods was the first athlete to top $1 billion in career earnings.

Among golfers, Woods ranks fourth in earnings on this year’s list. Leading the group is Jon Rahm with $100 million, placing him 12th overall. Scottie Scheffler (14th) follows at $92.5 million, while Rory McIlroy is 17th at $87.9 million. Woods is next at 45th, and Xander Schauffele rounds out the five golfers in the top 50.

Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo topped the overall athlete earnings list with $275 million, followed by NBA star Steph Curry, boxer Tyson Fury, Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott and another soccer star, Lionel Messi.

Woods’ long-standing partnerships with brands such as General Motors, Titleist, General Mills, American Express and Accenture continue to bolster his income.

Now 49 years old, Woods is tied with Sam Snead for the most PGA Tour wins in history (82) and ranks second in major championships to Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18. Woods’ last major victory came at the 2019 Masters, his fifth green jacket and 15th major title.

Woods has confirmed he will not play again for the rest of the 2025 season after rupturing an Achilles in March.