The second men's Major of the year has arrived as Aronimink Golf Club hosts the 2026 PGA Championship.
The Major, run by the PGA of America, usually boasts the strongest field in the game with almost all of the world's top 100 in the field. That remains the same this year, but there are usually some stars who miss out due to injuries or failing to qualify.
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler headlines as he seeks to defend the Wanamaker Trophy with back-to-back Masters champion Rory McIlroy and Players Champion Cameron Young also set to contend to take it off his hands in a star-studded field.
There are many ways to qualify for the PGA Championship, which also includes 20 club pros, and the PGA of America likes to invite players it believes will strengthen the field, too.
So, which big names are missing the 2026 PGA Championship?
Tiger Woods
The four-time PGA Champion was hoping to play in The Masters last month until his car accident in Jupiter, Florida, which saw him charged with a DUI.
He has since reportedly travelled to Switzerland for a 90-day rehab so will be out of action for the summer.
Woods has only played in five of the last ten PGAs, and has completed four rounds just twice in 2018, where he was 2nd, and in 2020, where he finished T37th.
Phil Mickelson
As well as Tiger Woods, fans on-site at Aronimink will also miss out on seeing Phil Mickelson. The two legends both missed The Masters for the first time last month and neither will be teeing up in the second Major of the year either.
The two-time PGA Champion, who won this event at the age of 50 in 2021 at Kiawah Island, has only played one tournament so far this year.
He is currently dealing with a family health matter at home. We wish both Woods and Mickelson the best and are looking forward to their returns.
Sergio Garcia
Garcia, who was runner-up to Tiger Woods at the 1999 PGA Championship and then again to Padraig Harrington in 2008, misses the event for the third time in the last four years.
He played last time out at Quail Hollow to finish T67th but hasn't been able to make his way back into the field with his world ranking down at 184th. That's up from outside of the top 300 after finishing 2nd at LIV Golf Virginia.
The Spaniard finished 52nd at Augusta last month, where he broke his driver in anger in the final round and later issued an apology after receiving a code of conduct warning.
Jake Knapp
Jake Knapp's thumb injury has persisted, leading to him withdrawing from the 2026 PGA Championship. The World No.39 is the highest-ranked player not in the field this week.
It has been a difficult period for the 2024 Mexico Open champion, who has been one of the best players on the PGA Tour so far this year.
His injury forced him out of back-to-back $20m Signature Events at both the Cadillac and Truist Championship, and has now sidelined him from a Major. It's a huge setback and results in a large loss of potential points and money right when he was playing some of the best golf of his life.
Will Zalatoris
Zalatoris finds himself down at 334th in the world after an injury plagued few years.
The 2022 PGA Championship runner-up, who lost to Justin Thomas in a playoff at Southern Hills, has only played four tournaments this year after undergoing a second back surgery last May.
The 29-year-old missed the cut at the 2025 PGA Championship and has not played in a Major since. He may well have a Major-less year for the first time since 2023.
Tony Finau
Tony Finau is currently the third alternate for the field so is set to miss his first PGA Championship since 2014. He has three top-10s in the Major with a best finish of T4 in 2020.
The six-time PGA Tour winner also failed to qualify for The Masters this year, bringing an end to an impressive 33 consecutive Majors.
Finau currently ranks 117th in the world, having recently finished dead-last in the 82-man RBC Heritage field.
Lucas Herbert
Lucas Herbert is the second of just three world top 100 players not in the field at Aronimink along with Knapp and Shaun Norris (95th).
The Australian vaulted up to 89th in the OWGR after winning his maiden LIV Golf title this past weekend at Trump National.
The 30-year-old, who also has wins on the PGA and DP World Tours, had played in six consecutive PGA Championships from 2019-2024 but has now missed two in a row.
Carlos Ortiz
Carlos Ortiz is also not one of the 11 LIV Golfers playing in the 2026 PGA Championship.
That is despite the Mexican recording his best ever Major finish at last year's US Open, where he ended T4th at Oakmont. That result got him into The Masters but he has not been able to qualify for Aronimink.
The Torque GC player, who has wins on LIV Golf, the PGA Tour, Asian Tour and Korn Ferry Tour, has not played in a PGA Championship since 2022.
Tom Kim
Tom Kim has had a surprising drop-off in form over the last year, with the Korean superstar currently ranked 142nd in the world. He did finish T6 in Myrtle Beach this past weekend, so he may well be on his way back.
Kim, at the age of 21 years, 3 months and 24 days old, became the youngest player since Tiger Woods to win three times on the PGA Tour at the 2023 Shriners Open. He is still searching for his fourth victory almost three years later.
He has played in the last four PGA Championships but will be missing this year's edition.
Anthony Kim
The PGA Championship isn't rigid when it comes to its invitations so there was definitely a scenario where Anthony Kim could have been given an exemption - but, sadly for the American, he hasn't.
Kim, who returned to golf from a 12-year hiatus in 2024, produced one of the moments of the year to win LIV Golf Adelaide in February for his first tour win in 16 years.
He is currently 5th in the LIV Golf League individual standings but he hasn't quite done enough to make his first Major appearance since 2011.
PGA Championship alternates list:
- 1. Kevin Yu
- 2. Mac Meissner
- 3. Tony Finau
- 4. Kevin Roy
- 5. Davis Thompson
Other notables missing the 2026 PGA Championship
(World ranking)
- Shaun Norris (95th)
- Mac Meissner (103rd)
- Sudarshan Yellamaraju (105th)
- Thorbjorn Olesen (110th)
- Kevin Yu (111th)
- Eric Cole (116th)
- Josele Ballester (118th)
- Blades Brown (120th)
- Thriston Lawrence (122nd)
- Davis Thompson (127th)
- Eugenio Chacarra (128th)
- Keita Nakajima (133rd)
- Laurie Canter (129th)
- Jacob Skov Olesen (138th)
- Mackenzie Hughes (144th)
- Byeong Hun An (159th)
- Dean Burmester (161st)
- Erik Van Rooyen (174th)
- Matt Kuchar (178th)
- Seamus Power (183rd)
- Joel Dahmen (193rd)
