2026 PGA Championship: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson among biggest names not competing in the major this week at Aronimink

Phil Mickelson is also away from the game while dealing with a personal family health matter.

Mickelson has only played in one LIV Golf event this season, back at its South Africa tournament. He announced before the Masters that 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 htis 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 only has 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.