After finishing second at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson to a marauding Scottie Scheffler, Erik van Rooyen found out that he would get to participate in the Truist Championship due to his runner-up finish in Dallas. But despite the opportunity, the South African golfer was very candid about the idea of a signature event like the Truist. “I hate it. I strongly believe that the strongest fields are the ones with the most players in them. The guys on the PGA Tour are so good. It’s so deep.” He stated.

The signature events are special events on the PGA Tour, envisioned with the goal to have the best golfers compete occasionally. How do they do it? Firstly, the prize pool is increased. All signature events have a total prize pool of $20 million with the winner going away with $4 million. Secondly, there is no cutline. The signature events feature a reduced field of players and has no cut, meaning all players will play for 4 days and all players will get a chunk of the prize money no matter what. There is also the matter of the increased FedEx points that are available. All these factors, make these events very special with many PGA Tour players looking forward to getting the opportunity to compete in it.

And that is where the value of exemptions skyrocket. If you are a tournament organizer, you would likely grant an exemption to a big-name player who can attract crowds and eyes rather than an up-and-coming player who is playing really good golf right now. That is what has happened at the Memorial Tournament after Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler were granted exemptions to the signature event taking place at the Muirfield Village Golf Club in Ohio.

On the Golf Channel podcast, Ryan Lavner and Rex Hoggard had an animated discussion regarding the exemptions and why there needs to be a regulatory process behind these invites. “I’m not okay with that. We need to be careful about these invitations into signature events. Because they are very coveted. And you cannot cut off someone who is playing well.” Hoggard stated.

Spieth and Fowler have received five sponsor exemptions to signature events across the 2025 season, which begs the question. What about the more deserving candidates on the Tour? Let’s take a look at Rickie Fowler. The American golfer has not played particularly well this season, with his best finish being T15 at the Truist Championship. He is 90th on the FedEx Cup points list. Fowler was granted an exemption before Bud Cauley who is 36th on the list.

Cauley was initially an alternate before qualifying for the Tournament via the Aon Swing 5  thanks to his 3rd place finish at the Charles Schwab Challenge. “It’s obviously exciting to get in those Signature Events. It’s a place I’ve played at a bunch and had a couple of good finishes, so I’m excited to get up there and play.” Cauley stated after the Texas event. For a player that is in good form, this is only his second signature event of the season.

“He[Fowler] has these golden tickets in access to more points and he is still not delivering at this point in the season. If you are the PGA Tour, you have to either put a cap on the sponsor exemptions. Two seems like a pretty fair number Maybe you do something drastic in terms of not even allowing these guys to earn FedEx Cup points if you’re playing on a sponsor exemption.” Lavner added.

Same can be said of Matti Schmid. The German golfer played some beautiful strokes to finish second at the Charles Schwab Challenge and earn his place via the Aon Swing 5. One player who will not get a chance is Erik van Rooyen. The South African is 65th on the FedEx Cup points list, which is one place more than the last alternate on the field, Karl Vilips. (Still 25 places ahead of Rickie Fowler). “If I’m a run-of-the-mill PGA tour player who is trying desperately fighting tooth and nail to get into these tournaments and trying to finish among the top 100 so I have job security for next year, I’d be royally pissed off at what has happened in the signature events.” Lavner further professed vehemently.

You want the best players on the field at the signature events. That was the purpose behind the concept. But the usage of exemptions have made it difficult for the best players to be present on the field. In another surprising field-shaking move, one qualified candidate opted out of the Tournament.

Rory McIlroy skips the Memorial Tournament

2025 Masters Champion Rory McIlroy will not be amongst the golfers who will tee off at the Muirfield Village Golf Club. The Northern Irish golfer did not offer any explanation as to his decision but he has confirmed his participation for the RBC Canadian Open the week after.

McIlroy’s absence from the Memorial Tournament, though newsworthy, is not completely out-of-the-blue. The Northern Irish golfer will want to be in the best condition ahead of the upcoming US Open. He has also finished in the top 10 in his last 4 times at the RBC Canadian Open, winning in 2019 and 2022. A familiar course where he has gotten good results in the past, could prove to be the formula he is looking for, in his bid for continued success at the majors.

What do you think of the signature events? Should there be a stricter law regulating entry into such events?