There will be no surprise appearance at the PGA Championship with the 15-time major winner officially out as Tiger Woods recovers from foot surgery.
The PGA Championship on Wednesday announced a field that includes 99 of the top 100 in the world rankings for the second major of the year, scheduled for May 18-21 at Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, regardless of which tour they play. , New York.
Jordan Spieth, who has a left wrist injury, and this week’s AT&T Byron Nelson, who is on the entry list, have withdrawn. Spieth, 29, is ranked 10th in the world and needs a PGA Championship win to complete his career Grand Slam.
He took to Twitter on Monday to say that he developed severe pain in his left wrist over the weekend. Doctors have confirmed the injury requires rest and limited movement and will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis, he said.
Defending champion Justin Thomas, who defeated Will Zalatoris in a playoff to win the 2022 event at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is also on the entry list.
Zalatoris, who is out for the year after surgery to relieve pain from a herniated disc, is the only top-10 ranked player not expected at Oak Hill.
Missing from the 155-player list is Sergio Garcia, a former Masters champion who qualified for every major dating back to the 1999 Open Championship at Carnoustie. The Spaniard is currently ranked 189th in the world.
Although Webb Simpson (No. 150 in the world rankings) and LIV player Paul Casey (131) have been given a special invitation, the PGA of America won’t say what the special invitation is.
The field features 18 players from Saudi-funded LIV Golf — the same number from the 89-man field at the Masters last month. This includes Talor Gooch, who has won the last two LIV golf events. He will be joined by several other LIV participants, including Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Australia’s Cameron Smith, who is world no. 8 are.
Mickelson, who won the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island at age 50, was the oldest major champion. He lost his title defense last year after his inflammatory comments about both the Saudis and the PGA Tour took time out.
LIV Golf does not receive official World Golf Rankings for its 48-man fields and 54-hole events but its application is under review. Several players who finished outside the top 100 were not invited – Cameron Tringale (103), Jason Kokrak (110), Sebastian Munoz (111) and Kevin Na (117).
Kocrac, Na and former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen (163) were at the Masters after finishing inside the top 50 at the end of last year. A runner-up at Kiawah Island two years ago, Oosthuizen qualified for every major dating back to 2009.
Other players who have received special invitations include Danish twins Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard, who are among the top 115 in the world rankings. Rikuya Hoshino (No. 125) was exempt. He finished second on the Japan Golf Tour money list last year.
The PGA of America extended the invitation to Francesco Molinari, who ended his five-year exemption from winning the 2018 Open Championship last year. Molinari missed the 2020 PGA Championship because he didn’t play all summer while riding out the COVID-19 pandemic with his family in London. He is currently ranked No. 132 in the world.
The only major champions not in the PGA Championship over the past 10 years are Garcia (2017 Masters), Henrik Stenson (2016 Open Championship) and Bubba Watson (2014 Masters), all with LIV Golf.
Rory McIlroy, who won the 2012 and 2014 PGA Championships, is a member at Oak Hill.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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