Count me in! Tiger eligible for own event

• By Jason Sobel
• Sep 18, 2011 3:00 PM ET

LEMONT, Ill. – Tiger Woods will be eligible to compete in his own Chevron World Challenge after all.

After much consternation as to whether the tournament host would qualify for his own tournament, he has at least cleared eligibility requirements in order to be offered one of two sponsor’s exemptions into the field by maintaining a place in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking through Sept. 19.

The event, which takes place Dec. 1-4 at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif., has the following eligibility requirements for its 18-player field:

- The winner of the previous year’s Chevron World Challenge. (Although last year’s winner Graeme McDowell has already announced he will not return to defend his title.)

- Current year winners of the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship.

- The top 11 available players from the Official World Golf Ranking through Sept. 19.

- Two sponsor exemptions, restricted to players ranked among the top 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking as of Sept. 19.

- If necessary to complete a field of 18 players, the next available players from the Official World Golf Ranking through Sept. 19.

Woods, who did not compete this week, will fall from No. 46 in the ranking to 49th when the new one is released on Monday morning. That will allow him to receive an exemption through the fourth of the five requirements listed above.

Had Woods dropped outside of the top 50, the tournament would have had to petition the PGA Tour policy board in order to grant its host an exemption. If that was approved, officials then would have had to appeal to the Official World Golf Ranking to continue offering official points.