The PGA Championship 2026 tees off this week at Aronimink Golf Club with one of the strongest fields in golf but as always, a handful of big names are sitting this one out.
Here is a look at the most notable absentees.
Tiger Woods
The biggest name missing the PGA Championship 2026 is Tiger Woods. The four-time PGA Champion has been sidelined since his car accident in Jupiter, Florida, which resulted in a DUI charge. He has since reportedly travelled to Switzerland for a 90-day rehabilitation programme, ruling him out for the summer.
Woods has only played five of the last ten PGA Championships, completing four rounds just twice, finishing second in 2018 and tied 37th in 2020.
Phil Mickelson
Mickelson is the other legendary name absent from Aronimink this week. Like Woods, he also missed The Masters last month, marking the first time both have been absent from back-to-back majors in recent memory.
The two-time PGA Champion, who remarkably won this event at the age of 50 at Kiawah Island in 2021, has played just one tournament this year while dealing with a family health matter at home.
Jake Knapp
The highest-ranked absentee is Jake Knapp at world number 39. A persistent thumb injury has forced him to withdraw, keeping him out of back-to-back Signature Events and now a major. It is a significant blow for a player who had been among the best on tour this season.
Tony Finau
Finau is set to miss his first PGA Championship since 2014, ending a streak of 33 consecutive major appearances. The six-time PGA Tour winner, who also missed The Masters this year, is currently ranked 117th in the world and sits as the third alternate for the field.
Will Zalatoris
The 2022 PGA Championship runner-up has played just four tournaments this year following a second back surgery. Ranked 334th in the world, Zalatoris has not appeared in a major since missing the cut at last year’s PGA Championship.
Others Missing Out
Sergio Garcia sits at 184th in the world rankings, not enough to qualify despite a recent runner-up finish at LIV Golf Virginia.
Lucas Herbert, who won his maiden LIV Golf title last weekend, vaulted to 89th in the world but still misses out, having not played in the PGA Championship since 2024.
Anthony Kim, who made a stunning return from a 12-year hiatus to win LIV Golf Adelaide in February, has not done quite enough to earn an invitation for his first major since 2011.
Meanwhile Tom Kim, once the youngest player since Tiger Woods to win three times on the PGA Tour, has seen his ranking slip to 142nd and misses out for the first time in five years.
Despite the absentees, the PGA Championship 2026 field remains stacked, with defending champion Scottie Scheffler, double Masters champion Rory McIlroy, and Players Champion Cameron Young all in contending for the Wanamaker Trophy.
