Jordan Spieth has taken things to second gear at Pebble Beach. He’s not there yet when it comes to being in contention to win the title. But after two rounds of the 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, he has displayed some incredible consistency. And that has helped him earn the confidence of the Arnold Palmer Invitational sponsors.

As reported by the PGA Tour’s Paul Hodowanic, “The Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard has announced three sponsor exemptions: Jordan Spieth, Billy Horschel, and Chris Kirk. Spieth was notably not given an exemption into API a year ago.”

Yes, Spieth has received another sponsor exemption. Unlike the Pebble Beach Signature event and the Genesis Invitational, he is not qualified to participate in the Bay Hill tournament. But his amazing performance in the first couple of rounds of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was enough to convince the sponsors to give him a ticket to the Arnold Palmer Invitational 2026.

Spieth is no stranger to receiving exemptions. In fact, he managed to get five of them last season. Of course, the Arnold Palmer Invitational officials didn’t invite him, as mentioned in the tweet. He had earned his ticket to the Signature event in 2021, 2023, and 2024.

Much like last year, fans are once again furious that Spieth has received an exemption in another big event. And they didn’t hold back at calling him out for trying to get a free ticket to such big tournaments.

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Let’s see what the internet had to say to Spieth and the tournament officials.

Netizens left furious as Jordan Spieth finds an easy way in to a Signature event once again

Jordan Spieth has always been a very popular figure in golf. But fans believe that he has misused his fame to earn spots in events that others deserved to play.

Joseph LaMagna from Fried Egg Golf asked, “Expect anything different?”

It’s unclear what they were insinuating, but this is similar to what fans saw from Spieth in 2025 as well. He received an exemption for nearly every event he wasn’t qualified to play. Maybe the fans can expect more of the same this season as well.

A fan wrote, “Spieth must have improved his letter-writing abilities,” while someone else also commented, “Probably wrote a much better letter this year.”

In the past, Spieth had admitted to writing special letters to sponsors to receive exemptions in big events. Considering that he didn’t receive in the 2025 edition of the Arnold Palmer Invitational but got it now, the fan is suggesting that he may have drafted a better letter this year.

Some believe the sponsors and the PGA Tour are to be blamed for it: “Can’t blame them for wanting more viewers and attendees.”

Spieth does draw more viewership than other smaller players. That’s why he earned a $4.5 paycheck through the Player Impact Program last year without winning a title. Even when he doesn’t deliver on the course, fans still want to see him play in the hopes that he will turn things around.

Paolo Uggetti from ESPN turned it into an advertisement for the tournament sponsor, “there are some tournaments you just can’t get into. for everything else, there’s mastercard.”

Considering the status that he has built over the years, Spieth does enjoy a lot of privileges. Uggetti used clever wordplay by integrating the situation into Mastercard’s tagline.