Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler will not receive sponsor's exemptions to play in next week's Arnold Palmer Invitational. The two stars will be joined in such an uncomfortable situation by recent Courage Award winner Gary Woodland.The news was confirmed by Sam Saunders, grandson of the legendary Arnold Palmer and a member of the tournament's exemption committee. Speaking to Golfweek's Adam Schupak, Saunders explained that the reasons for the denials were related to finding a balance in the invitations that were approved."What our team did was try to pick players that, you know, it's about protecting and growing the game of golf as a whole," Saunders said. "And doing what's the most balanced and fair process. Honestly, I think there was a lot of thought put into each and every player that was selected.""At the end of the day," he added, "it's who's getting the ball in the hole the fastest that are the ones who get the opportunities. You can't make everybody happy with exemptions. So you try to just do it as fair and balanced as possible."The names of the players who have received sponsorship exemptions to play in the fourth Signature Event of the season were made public on Friday. Rafael Campos is one of them, as confirmed by the player himself, and we will be joined by Min Woo Lee, Jackson Koivun, Mackenzie Hughes and Justin Rose.Saunders also said that the committee's decision was influenced by the fact that the players already had invitations to other high-profile events.Now, both Fowler and Spieth depend on their performance in the Cognizant Classic to secure a place in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. A win would qualify them directly, while a good finish could earn them a ticket through the Swing 5 system, which rewards players with the most FedEx Cup points between one Signature Event and another, unless otherwise exempt.Three-time major champion and 13-time PGA Tour winner Jordan Spieth has played at Bay Hill three times, with two fourth-place finishes (2021, 2023) as his best results.Spieth is currently still recovering from wrist surgery he underwent last September. He has received sponsor's exemptions for two of the four events he has played so far in 2025 (AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Genesis Invitational).Rickie Fowler, for his part, is a fan favorite and a six-time winner on the PGA Tour. He has played the Arnold Palmer Invitational 13 times, with a tie for third as his best result. Fowler had also received sponsor exemptions to play at Pebble Beach and the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines this year.As for Woodland, he had also received invitations to play in the same Signature Events as his colleagues. The Cognizant Classic is his fifth event of the season, with a T16 at the Sony Open his best finish to date.More Golf: 'Terrified' Paige Spiranac Takes on New Role at PGA Tour Creator Classic