For many years, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson had been fixtures in major championships. However, only one of them will be teeing it up at next week’s 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink. And he happens to be the only player among them who was not previously eligible for the second major of the year.
On Tuesday, the PGA of America revealed the 2026 PGA Championship field list, which included a special invitation for Johnson. The list did not include Tiger’s name, and Mickelson’s name disappeared shortly thereafter.
Here’s what you need to know.
Dustin Johnson gets special invitation to 2026 PGA Championship
Johnson is a two-time major winner and was perennially ranked inside the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking during his prime. As a result, he’s been automatically qualified for every major since 2009. That is, until the 2026 PGA Championship.
Now 41, Johnson plays with LIV Golf, which he joined as part of an early wave of players in 2022. His play has fallen off in recent years, and, for the first time, his major eligibility is at risk.
Thanks to his 2020 Masters win, Johnson will always get an invite to Augusta every April, but his exemptions into other majors for that win have expired. Furthermore, his 10-year U.S. Open exemption for winning the event in 2016 expires after this year.
With his world ranking down to No. 468 as of Monday, May 4, Johnson is no longer eligible for the PGA Championship or the Open Championship, and he’ll lose eligibility for the U.S. Open in 2027.
But on Tuesday, the PGA of America unveiled its early field list for next week’s event outside Philadelphia, and Johnson was among those players receiving a special exemption.
Johnson spoke to Golf Channel about his PGA invite.
“Very excited. 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,” Johnson said. “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 also extended special invitations to Keith Mitchell, Billy Horschel, Andy Sullivan, Angel Ayora and Chandler Blanchet.
In all, the PGA field list features 154 players. But two additional competitors could be added should the winners of this week’s Truist Championship and Myrtle Beach Classic not already be qualified.
Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson will not play PGA Championship
As past PGA champions, Woods and Mickelson were both eligible for this year’s PGA Championship, which kicks off May 14. Mickelson was even included in the field when the PGA of America initially released it.
But later on Tuesday, the PGA announced that Mickelson had “withdrawn from the 2026 PGA Championship field due to a personal health matter with his family.” The same unspecified family health matter kept Mickelson out of the 2026 Masters and has prevented him from playing in any LIV Golf events this season.
Mickelson’s greatest PGA moment occurred not that long ago. In 2021, Mickelson shocked the world by winning the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course. With the victory, his sixth major title, Mickelson became the oldest major champion in history at 50 years old. One year later, he joined LIV Golf.
The PGA announced that Max Homa would replace Mickelson in the field for this year’s PGA.
Woods’ absence from the PGA Championship field is less of a surprise. While he was rumored to be planning a return from injury at the 2026 Masters, his car crash and ensuing DUI charge in late March ended those plans.
On March 31, Woods announced he was “stepping away” from his career to “seek treatment” and focus on his health. He left no timetable for his potential return.
You can see the full 2026 PGA Championship field as it stands now below.
2026 PGA Championship field (as of 5/6/26)
Åberg, Ludvig – SWEDEN
Ayora, Angel – SPAIN
Berg, Derek – Duvall, WA*
Berger, Daniel – Jupiter, FL
Bezuidenhout, Christiaan – SOUTH AFRICA
Bhatia, Akshay – Jupiter, FL
Bide, Francisco – ARGENTINA*
Blanchet, Chandler – Jacksonville, FL
Block, Michael – Mission Viejo, CA*
Bradley, Keegan – Woodstock, VT
Brennan, Michael – Leesburg, VA
Bridgeman, Jacob – Simpsonville, SC
Brown, Daniel – ENGLAND
Burns, Sam – Shreveport, LA
Campbell, Brian – Irvine, CA
Cantlay, Patrick – Jupiter, FL
Castillo, Ricky – Yorba Linda, CA
Cauley, Bud – Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Cink, Stewart – Atlanta, GA
Clark, Wyndham – Denver, CO
Collet, Tyler – Vero Beach, FL*
Conners, Corey – CANADA
Coody, Pierceson – Plano, TX
Day, Jason – AUSTRALIA
DeChambeau, Bryson – Dallas, TX
Detry, Thomas – BELGIUM
Donald, Luke – ENGLAND
Droemer, Jesse – Houston, TX*
Dufner, Jason – Auburn, AL
Echavarria, Nico – COLOMBIA
English, Harris – Sea Island, GA
Fisher, Bryce – Oregon City, OR*
Fisk, Steven – Sea Island, GA
Fitzpatrick, Alex – ENGLAND
Fitzpatrick, Matthew – ENGLAND
Fleetwood, Tommy – ENGLAND
Fox, Ryan – NEW ZEALAND
Fowler, Rickie – Murrieta, CA
Gabriele, Chris – Huntington, NY*
Geddes, Mark – ENGLAND*
Gerard, Ryan – Raleigh, NC
Glover, Lucas – Jupiter, FL
Gotterup, Chris – Little Silver, NJ
Griffin, Ben – Chapel Hill, NC
Grillo, Emiliano – ARGENTINA
Greyserman, Max – Short Hills, NJ
Gumberg, Jordan – Delray Beach, FL
Hall, Harry – ENGLAND
Harman, Brian – Sea Island, GA
Harrington, Pádraig – IRELAND
Hatton, Tyrrell – ENGLAND
Haynes, Zach – Bowling Green, KY*
Henley, Russell – Columbus, GA
Higa, Kazuki – JAPAN
Higgo, Garrick – SOUTH AFRICA
Highsmith, Joe – Lakewood, WA
Hillier, Daniel – NEW ZEALAND
Hisatsune, Ryo – JAPAN
Hoey, Rico – PHILIPPINES
Højgaard, Nicolai – DENMARK
Højgaard, Rasmus – DENMARK
Holt, Ian – Stow, OH
Homa, Max – Scottsdale, AZ
Horschel, Billy – Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Hovland, Viktor – NORWAY
Hurt, Austin – Bainbridge Island, WA*
Im, Sungjae – REPUBLIC OF KOREA
Jaeger, Stephan – GERMANY
Jarvis, Casey – SOUTH AFRICA
Johnson, Dustin – Jupiter, FL
Jones, Jared – Dublin, OH*
Kaneko, Kota – JAPAN
Katrude, Michael – West Palm Beach, FL*
Kaymer, Martin – GERMANY
Keefer, John – San Antonio, TX
Kern, Ben – Grove City, OH*
Kim, Michael – Dallas, TX
Kim, Si Woo – REPUBLIC OF KOREA
Kirk, Chris – Watkinsville, GA
Kitayama, Kurt – Chico, CA
Knapp, Jake – Scottsdale, AZ
Koepka, Brooks – West Palm Beach, FL
Lee, Min Woo – AUSTRALIA
Lenahan, Ryan – New Hudson, MI*
Li, Haotong – PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Lindberg, Mikael – SWEDEN
Lipsky, David – Las Vegas, NV
Lowry, Shane – IRELAND
MacIntyre, Robert – SCOTLAND
Matsuyama, Hideki – JAPAN
McCarthy, Denny – Jupiter, FL
McCarty, Matt – Scottsdale, AZ
McClure, Paul – Mobile, AL*
McGreevy, Max – Edmond, OK
McIlroy, Rory – NORTHERN IRELAND
McKibbin, Tom – NORTHERN IRELAND
McNealy, Maverick – Las Vegas, NV
Micheel, Shaun – Collierville, TN
Mitchell, Keith – Sea Island, GA
Morikawa, Collin – La Canada, CA
Mouw, William – Chino Hills, CA
Neergaard-Petersen, Rasmus – DENMARK
Niemann, Joaquin – CHILE
Noren, Alex – SWEDEN
Novak, Andrew – Sea Island, GA
Parry, John – ENGLAND
Pendrith, Taylor – CANADA
Penge, Marco – ENGLAND
Polland, Ben – Wilson, WY*
Poston, J.T. – Sea Island, GA
Potgieter, Aldrich – SOUTH AFRICA
Puig, David – SPAIN
Putnam, Andrew – Lakewood, WA
Rahm, Jon – SPAIN
Rai, Aaron – ENGLAND
Reed, Patrick – The Woodlands, TX
Reitan, Kristoffer – NORWAY
Rodgers, Patrick – Avon, IN
Rose, Justin – ENGLAND
Riley, Davis – Hattiesburg, MS
Saddier, Adrien – FRANCE
Sapp, Garrett – Cypress, CA*
Schaper, Jayden – SOUTH AFRICA
Schauffele, Xander – San Diego, CA
Scheffler, Scottie – Dallas, TX
Schenk, Adam – Vincennes, IN
Schmid, Matti – GERMANY
Scott, Adam – AUSTRALIA
Shattuck, Braden – Aston, PA*
Smalley, Alex – Greensboro, NC
Smith, Cameron – AUSTRALIA
Smith, Jordan – ENGLAND
Smotherman, Austin – Dallas, TX
Smylie, Elvis – AUSTRALIA
Smyth, Travis – AUSTRALIA
Spaun, J.J. – Los Angeles, CA
Spieth, Jordan – Dallas, TX
Stevens, Sam – Wichita, KS
Straka, Sepp – AUSTRIA
Sullivan, Andy – ENGLAND
Taylor, Nick – CANADA
Theegala, Sahith – Chino Hills, CA
Thomas, Justin – Jupiter, FL
Thorbjornsen, Michael – Wellesley, MA
Valimaki, Sami – FINLAND
Vegas, Jhonattan – VENEZUELA
Vermeer, Ryan – Elkhorn, NE*
Walker, Jimmy – San Antonio, TX
Wallace, Matt – ENGLAND
Wiesberger, Bernd – AUSTRIA
Wiseman, Timothy – New Albany, IN*
Woodland, Gary – Topeka, KS
Yang, Y.E. – REPUBLIC OF KOREA
Young, Cameron – Palm Beach Gardens, FL
2026 PGA Championship alternates
1. Yellamaraju, Sudarshan – CANADA
2. Hoge, Tom – Fargo, ND
3. Yu, Kevin – CHINESE TAIPEI
4. Meissner, Mac – Dallas, TX
5. Finau, Tony – Lehi, UT
6. Roy, Kevin – Lakewood Ranch, FL
7. Thompson, Davis – Sea Island, GA
