The PGA Championship is here, and all eyes are on the loaded field this week at Aronimink Golf Club outside of Philadelphia.
Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler is the betting favorite entering the week, though reigning two-time Masters champion Rory McIlroy isn’t far behind him. Several big names from LIV Golf are in the mix, too.
But once again, a few notable golfers — including both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson — are sitting this one out.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest names who did not make the trip to Pennsylvania this week.
Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods is still away from golf after he was involved in a rollover crash and arrested in Florida earlier this year.
Woods was driving in Jupiter Island, Florida, in March when he collided with a pickup truck and rolled his Range Rover. There were no injuries, but Woods was arrested and charged with DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test. He has since entered a plea of not guilty.
Woods then opted to step away from golf to seek treatment. He has not played since, and missed the Masters last month as a result. Woods hasn’t played much at all in recent years, either. He was recovering from a ruptured Achilles and a back surgery in 2025 before his car crash, though he had returned to play in the TGL indoor final in March. It’s unclear when Woods will attempt to play competitively again.
Woods has won the PGA Championship three times in his career, most recently in 2007. That marked his second consecutive win at the major championship, too. Woods last played the tournament back in 2024, though he missed the cut that year.
Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson is also away from the game while dealing with a personal family health matter.
Mickelson has played in only one LIV Golf event this season, back at its South Africa tournament. He announced before the Masters he was stepping away for he time being, and did not get into specifics.
Mickelson was initially listed in the field at the PGA CHampionship earlier this month, but he quickly clarified that he wasn’t able to play and officially withdrew. Max Homa then replaced him in the field.
“I wish I could, I can’t [play] unfortunately,” Mickelson said. “I’m hoping to play the rest of the year after that, but honestly I don’t know.”
Mickelson has won the PGA Championship twice in his career, most recently in 2021. He’s missed the cut at the major in his last two outings.
Tony Finau
Tony Finau did not earn his spot in the PGA Championship this week, though he’s the fifth alternate in the field — so there is still hope.
Finau failed to qualify for the Masters earlier this season, which ended a streak of 33 straight major championship appearances. He currently sits at No. 119 in the Official World Golf Rankings and has only two top-20 finishes on Tour in 13 starts this season. He finished T31 last week at Quail Hollow, but needed a win to earn a spot at Aronimink.
Finau has not missed a PGA Championship since 2014, and he’s finished inside the top 20 in each of his last two starts there. If there isn’t a wave of withdrawals in the coming days, Finau will be watching from home.
Sergio Garcia is missing another PGA Championship. (Ben Hsu/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Sergio Garcia
Sergio Garcia was not invited to participate in the PGA Championship this season, and his OWGR ranking has plummeted to No. 318 as he competes with LIV Golf. Garcia finished 52nd at the Masters last month, though he broke his driver in the final round after erupting on a tee box. That earned him an official warning from Augusta National, too.
Garcia has missed out on three of the last four PGA Championships. He’s only made the cut at one of them in the last decade, which was his T67 finish last season.
Will Zalatoris
Will Zalatoris hasn’t played anywhere since the Valero Texas Open in early April. The once promising Tour star has dealt with numerous injuries in recent years that have largely derailed his career, and he needed three back surgeries over a three-year span. He injured his ankle in February, too.
Zalatoris, now at No. 326 in the OWGR, finished in second in a playoff at the 2022 PGA Championship behind Justin Thomas. That came during a run where Zalatoris finished top 10 in six of seven major championship starts, including three runner-up finishes. But Zalatoris missed the cut at last year’s PGA Championship, and hasn’t played a major since.
