LIV major champ earns surprise PGA invite, Tiger and Phil are out

For many years, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson AND Dustin Johnson it had been a match in major championships. However, only one of them will make it to next week’s 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink. And he happens to be the only player among them who was previously ineligible for the second major of the year.

On Tuesday, the PGA of America unveiled the 2026 PGA Championship field list, which included a special invitation to Johnson. The list did not include Tiger’s name, and Mickelson’s name disappeared soon after.

Here’s what you need to know.

Dustin Johnson Receives Special Invitation to 2026 PGA Championship

Johnson is a two-time major winner and consistently ranked in the top 10 on the list Official World Golf Ranking during his prime. As a result, he has automatically qualified for every major since 2009. That is, until the 2026 PGA Championship.

Now 41, Johnson plays with LIFE Golfwhich he joined as part of an early wave of players in 2022. His play has declined in recent years and, for the first time, his primary eligibility is in jeopardy.

owing to his 2020 Masters winJohnson will always get an invitation to Augusta every April, but his exemptions to other majors for that win have expired. Additionally, his 10-year US Open exemption for winning the event in 2016 expires after this year.

With his world ranking at No. 468 as of Monday, May 4, Johnson is no longer eligible for the PGA Championship or The Open Championship, and he will lose eligibility for the US 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 who received a special exemption.

Johnson spoke to the Golf Channel regarding his invitation to the PGA.

“Very excited. I want to play in all the tournaments. I feel like my game is still good enough to compete with everyone and still win,” Johnson said. “The PGA was nice enough to give me an invitation. So, yeah, I’m very, very happy and grateful for that.”

The PGA of America also extended special invitations to Keith Mitchell, Billy Horschel, Andy Sullivan, Angel Ayora and Chandler Blanchet.

Overall, the PGA field list features 154 players. But two more contestants could be added if this week’s winners Truist Championship and the Myrtle Beach Classic are not already eligible.

Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson will not play the PGA Championship

As past PGA champions, Woods and Mickelson were both eligible for this year’s PGA Championship, which begins on May 14. Mickelson was even included in the field when the PGA of America initially released it.

But later Tuesday, the PGA announced that Mickelson had “withdrawn from the 2026 PGA Championship field due to a personal health issue with his family.” The same unspecified family health issue kept Mickelson out of the 2026 Masters and has prevented him from playing in every LIV golf event this season.

Mickelson’s biggest PGA moment happened not too long ago. In 2021, Mickelson shocked the world winning the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course. With the win, his sixth major title, Mickelson became the oldest major champion in history at age 50. A year later, he joined LIV Golf.

This has been announced by the PGA 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 comeback from injury at the 2026 Masters, his car accident and subsequent DUI charge these plans were completed at the end of March.

On March 31, Woods announced he was “walking away” from his career to “seek treatment” and focus on his health. He left no timetable for his possible 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
Zink, Stewart – Atlanta, GA
Clark, Wyndham – Denver, CO
Collett, Tyler – Vero Beach, FL*
Conners, Corey – CANADA
Coody, Pierceson – Plano, TX
Day, Jason – AUSTRALIA
DeChambeau, Bryson – Dallas, Texas
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, Patrick – 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, Texas
Kern, Ben – Grove City, OH*
Kim, Michael – Dallas, Texas
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 – KIL
Noren, Alex – SWEDEN
Novak, Andrew – Sea Island, GA
Parry, John – ENGLAND
Pendrith, Taylor – CANADA
Money, Marco – ENGLAND
Poland, Ben – Wilson, WY*
Poston, JT – 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, Texas
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, Texas
Smylie, Elvis – AUSTRALIA
Smyth, Travis – AUSTRALIA
Spaun, JJ – Los Angeles, CA
Spieth, Jordan – Dallas, Texas
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, Jonathan – VENEZUELA
Vermeer, Ryan – Elkhorn, NE*
Walker, Jimmy – San Antonio, Texas
Wallace, Matt – ENGLAND
Wiesberger, Bernd – AUSTRIA
Wiseman, Timothy – New Albany, IN*
Woodland, Gary – Topeka, KS
Yang, YE – REPUBLIC OF KOREA
Young, Cameron – Palm Beach Gardens, FL