The 2026 PGA Championship gets underway this week but will do so without several major stars. While Scottie Scheffler attempts to retain the crown he claimed last year and Rory McIlroy seeks to lift the trophy for a third time, two previous winners will be missing from the field.
Notable Absentees
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are the two most notable absentees who will not tee off at Aronimink Golf Club. Woods, a five-time champion, also missed the Masters last month and continues his break from golf. As for two-time champion Mickelson, the LIV Golf player has featured in just one tournament this season, having withdrawn due to a personal health matter with his family, tournament officials confirmed. The family circumstances also forced Lefty to withdraw from the Masters, with no date set for his return.
Other Stars Missing
Beyond Woods and Mickelson, spectators must accept numerous other stars sitting out. Despite the PGA Championship boasting the biggest field of all four majors with 156 competitors, several prominent players are absent. Sergio Garcia, a two-time runner-up at this major, misses the event for the third time in four years. The Spaniard has world ranking of 184th, falling short of the required standard.
Tony Finau finds himself as the fifth alternate. Despite never winning a major, he had a streak of 33 consecutive major appearances, which ended at last month's Masters. The six-time PGA Tour winner is ranked 117th in the world. Will Zalatoris has struggled with injuries, languishing at 334th in the world. His most recent major was last year's PGA Championship, and it feels distant since he finished runner-up in 2022.
Despite 11 LIV Golfers teeing it up, Carlos Ortiz is not among them. The Mexican star recorded a career-best major finish at last year's US Open, joint-fourth, but with a world ranking of 172nd, he will not play. Tom Kim's run of four consecutive PGA Championship appearances ends; he sits 142nd in the world after a dip in form. Anthony Kim was not extended an invitation, which would have been his first major in 15 years after his comeback in 2024.
Louis Oosthuizen, with an impressive major record including The Open and two runner-up finishes at the PGA Championship, is absent due to his world ranking of 351st. Talor Gooch, despite four LIV victories, is 992nd in the world. His most recent major appearance was in 2024, finishing T60. Lucas Herbert, ranked 89th and qualified for the US Open, will not play at the PGA Championship. His win at LIV Virginia earned him a place at Shinnecock Hills but not here. Ian Poulter's absence is unsurprising; his last major was the 2022 PGA Championship and The Open.
List of Leading Absent Players
- Tiger Woods
- Phil Mickelson
- Sergio Garcia
- Tony Finau
- Will Zalatoris
- Carlos Ortiz
- Tom Kim
- Anthony Kim
- Louis Oosthuizen
- Talor Gooch
- Lucas Herbert
- Ian Poulter
The tournament is considered to have the strongest line-up in golf, given virtually every player in the world's top 100 typically participates unless exceptional circumstances prevent them.
