by PGA Tour member Michael Kim says he doesn’t have too many complaints about the use of sponsor exemptions after the issue was discussed again in advance ZOZO Championship.
A debate was sparked by Fried Egg’s Joseph LaManga, who wrote that it was “particularly egregious” that two of the four sponsor exemptions in Japan were awarded this week to Joel Dahmen and Gary Woodland.
LaManga pointed out that Woodland and Dahmen’s position in the FedEx Cup standings means a strong performance this week could likely be the deciding factor in whether they retain their Tour cards.
Meanwhile, players in the Top 125 bubble are simply sitting on the sidelines just because Dahmen and Woodland “have bigger brands.”
“Sponsor exceptions should not exist at all,” LaManga wrote.
“But they definitely shouldn’t change the future of the players.”
Kim saw that the post couldn’t help but state his thoughts.
“I can of course identify with the guys who would like to get some free points and secure my card for next year,” he wrote.
“But I don’t have much objection to sponsor exemptions.
“These companies are signing an eight-figure check. You can control four out of 80 places.”
“If I had played a little better earlier in the year, I would have been in the tournament.”
Kim couldn’t resist a cheeky swipe at Max Homa and Justin Thomas.
“[They] Just stay home and watch the Dodgers and Bama so I can fucking play lol.
Why are sponsor exemptions controversial?
Sponsor exemptions on the PGA Tour can be controversial for several reasons.
Their use is primarily about fairness and meritocracy.
Some argue that using them circumvents the qualification process.
They can also be seen as unfair if they are awarded to popular players who simply underperform.
There is also a perceived lack of transparency, as it is not always clear what criteria sponsors use to select players.
This leads to speculation that exemptions could be influenced by personal or business relationships.
What did the players say?
Earlier this year, Webb Simpson defended his use of the sponsorship exemption to attend signature events.
He explained that his participation in the events had nothing to do with the fact that he was a member of the political committee.
However, Simpson agreed that the optics weren’t good.
“There are things that interest me and excite me a lot more than worrying about what one particular person thinks about who should get a sponsorship exemption,” he said.
