After a promising start to 2026, Jake Knapp has been forced to withdraw from this week's PGA Championship with a thumb injury. The American golfer, currently ranked No. 39 in the world, has now missed three consecutive events due to a sprain. In his last tournament, the RBC Heritage, he finished 74th out of 82 competitors.
Prior to the injury, Knapp had made an exceptional start to his 2026 season. In his first eight starts, the 31-year-old recorded seven finishes in the top 11, including an 11th-place finish at The Masters. Knapp has not publicly commented on his decision to miss the event at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania, but his withdrawal means Tom Hoge will take his place.
Knapp is a one-time winner on the PGA Tour, having claimed the Mexico Open in 2024. He also missed the Cadillac Championship and the Truist Championship, two signature events on the PGA Tour schedule. Golf insider Dan Rapaport expressed his condolences on social media, posting: "I'm bummed about Knapp, man. Having the best season of his career, amazing start to the year, and has now missed 3 signature events and a major with two separate injuries. He jumps off the screen when he's in the mix. Breakout star potential. But needs to be playing."
Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy gave a blunt assessment of how he expects the course to play in Philadelphia this week. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday morning, McIlroy told reporters: "It's basically, bash driver down there and then figure it out from there. Which I think is a lot of these newer, newly renovated - I think about Oak Hill in 2023, here. When these traditional golf courses take a lot of trees out, it makes strategy not as much of a concern off the tee. But the greens are, as I said at the start, the greens are the main focus this week, and I think getting yourself in the right sections of the greens, making sure you leave yourself below the hole for the most part. That's the key this week."
