Tiger Woods Withdraws from PGA Championship; Johnson Gets Special Invite
Tiger Woods is out of the PGA Championship. Phil Mickelson has also withdrawn, having played just one LIV Golf event this year while dealing with a family health matter. His withdrawal came shortly after the PGA announced its 154-player field for Aronimink Golf Club.
The biggest surprise was Dustin Johnson receiving one of the special invitations to the championship despite his eligibility having expired last year.
“Very excited,” Johnson said from LIV Golf Virginia. “I want to play in all the majors. I feel like my game is still good enough to compete with everyone and still can win. The PGA was nice enough to give me an invitation. So yeah, I’m very, very happy and thankful for that.”
The PGA of America has held back two spots for potential winners of upcoming PGA Tour events – the Truist Championship and the Myrtle Beach Classic – if they aren’t already qualified.
Scottie Scheffler will defend his title at the year’s second major, which returns to Aronimink for the first time since Gary Player’s victory in 1972.
Johnson is among 30 players who competed at Aronimink when it hosted the 2018 BMW Championship, where Keegan Bradley defeated Justin Rose in a rain-delayed Monday playoff.
Special Invitations and Field Makeup
The PGA Championship committee isn’t exactly transparent about how it fills its field, with 33 players receiving special invitations this year.
Most invitations went to players from the top 100 in the world ranking. The PGA Championship typically aims to include the top 100 and sometimes extends a bit further to prevent late-week ranking changes from affecting eligibility.
They’ve invited Andy Sullivan (102), Angel Ayora (103), Keith Mitchell (104), Chandler Blanchet (106) and Billy Horschel (107).
The PGA also uses its points list – based on official PGA Tour money earned in the last 12 months – to fill spots beyond the top 70.
Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Canada, ranked 80th on that list, becomes the first alternate with a good chance of playing since only four players at the Truist Championship (including Yellamaraju) aren’t yet in the field. All alternates were selected from the PGA points list.
Woods’ absence wasn’t surprising. He was arrested February 27 on suspicion of DUI and received permission from a Florida judge to seek treatment outside the country. He hasn’t played in a major since the 2024 British Open.
Mickelson hasn’t publicly detailed what he’s handling at home. His only LIV Golf appearance this year was in South Africa back in March, and he skipped the Masters.
Notable Invitations and Absences
The PGA of America also gave spots to Ian Holt, a two-time winner this year on the Korn Ferry Tour who leads their points list, and Kota Kaneko of Japan from the Federation Ranking of tours worldwide. The PGA Championship includes players from the leading three tours, and Kaneko ranks fourth on the Japan Golf Tour.
Johnson, a former world No. 1 with two major titles, has qualified for every major since the 2009 Masters. He’s missed three due to injury or personal time away (including the 2014 PGA Championship).
His 10-year exemption from winning the U.S. Open expires after this year. He’s not currently eligible for the British Open, which traditionally doesn’t offer special exemptions.
European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald received an invitation, continuing a PGA Championship tradition. U.S. captain Jim Furyk won’t be playing. Two-time PGA champion Vijay Singh and 2025 Senior PGA champion Angel Cabrera have opted not to compete.
