Tiger Woods granted special exemption to compete in U.S. Open at Pinehurst for first time.

Tiger Woods has been granted a special exemption to compete in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, marking his first need for an exemption to play in the tournament. This follows Woods' five-year exemption from winning the 2019 Masters, which expired last year. The USGA has a history of being particular about who is exempt from qualifying, last awarding a special exemption to Phil Mickelson in 2021.