Major Golf Field Shifts: Big Names Drop, New Surprise Arrives

The PGA Championship lineup has changed. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will not play. They were on the original 154‑player list but withdrew after personal issues. A surprise entrant is Dustin Johnson. He got a special invitation even though his automatic spot ended last year. Johnson said he is happy and wants to compete in all majors. The PGA of America kept two open spots for winners of the Truist Championship and Myrtle Beach Classic. They will fill them if those winners are not already qualified. Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion. The tournament returns to Aronimink, where it last hosted a major in 1972. Johnson has played at Aronimink before. He was one of thirty golfers there in 2018 when the BMW Championship ended late because of rain. The field is filled with players from the world rankings and PGA Tour money lists. Thirty‑three special invites were given. Most came from the top 100, but a few were just outside that range.Invites went to players like Andy Sullivan (rank 102) and Angel Ayora (103). Others were chosen from the PGA points list, such as Sudarshan Yellamaraju (rank 80). He is the first alternate and could enter if a spot opens. Woods has not played in a major since last year’s British Open. He was arrested for DUI and is seeking treatment abroad. Mickelson has not spoken publicly about his family health matter. He played only one LIV Golf event in South Africa and missed the Masters. The PGA also added Ian Holt, a Korn Ferry Tour winner, and Kota Kaneko from the Japan Golf Tour. They are among the top players on their tours. Johnson has been eligible for every major since 2009, except when injured or taking breaks. His U. S. Open exemption ends this year. Ryder Cup captains often receive invites. Luke Donald got one, but U. S. captain Jim Furyk is not playing. Vijay Singh and Angel Cabrera chose to skip the event.