Tiger not playing in PGA; injured Spieth entered

There won’t be a surprise appearance by Tiger Woods at the PGA Championship, with the 15-time major winner officially out as he recovers from ankle surgery.

The PGA Championship on Wednesday announced a field that includes 99 of the top 100 in the world ranking, no matter what tour they play, for the second major of the year, which is scheduled for May 18-21 at Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York.

Jordan Spieth, who has a left wrist injury and withdrew from this week’s AT&T Byron Nelson, is on the entry list. Spieth, 29, is ranked No. 10 in the world and needs a PGA Championship win to complete his career Grand Slam.

He said in a statement on Twitter on Monday that he experienced severe pain in his left wrist over the weekend. He said doctors confirmed an injury that requires rest and limited movement and added that it would be assessed week to week.

Also on the entry list is defending champion Justin Thomas, who defeated Will Zalatoris in a playoff to win the 2022 event at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Zalatoris, who is out for the year after surgery to relieve the pain caused by a herniated disk, is the only player ranked in the top 10 who is not expected at Oak Hill.

Also missing from the 155-player list is Sergio Garcia, the former Masters champion who had been eligible for every major dating to the 1999 Open Championship at Carnoustie. The Spaniard currently is No. 189 in the world.

The PGA of America does not say what constitutes a special invitation, though it offered one to Webb Simpson (No. 150 in the world ranking) and LIV player Paul Casey (131).

The field has 18 players from Saudi-funded LIV Golf — the same number from the 89-man field at the Masters last month. That includes Talor Gooch, who has won the past two LIV Golf events. He will be joined by several other LIV participants, including Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith of Australia, who is No. 8 in the world.

Mickelson, who won the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island at age 50 to become the oldest major champion. He missed his title defense last year while taking time off after his inflammatory comments about both the Saudis and the PGA Tour.

LIV Golf still does not get Official World Golf Ranking points for its 48-man fields and 54-hole events while its application remains under review. A number of players who fell out of the top 100 were not invited – Cameron Tringale (103), Jason Kokrak (110), Sebastian Munoz (111) and Kevin Na (117).

Kokrak, Na and former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen (163) were at the Masters from having been among the top 50 at the end of last year. Oosthuizen, a runner-up at Kiawah Island two years ago, had been eligible for every major dating to 2009.

Among other players receiving special invitations were Danish twins Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard, both among the top 115 of the world ranking. Rikuya Hoshino (No. 125) received an exemption. He finished second on the Japan Golf Tour money list last year.

The PGA of America gave an invitation to Francesco Molinari, whose five-year exemption from winning the 2018 Open Championship ran out last year. Molinari missed the 2020 PGA Championship because he did not play all summer while riding out the COVID-19 pandemic with his family in London. He now is No. 132 in the world.

The only major champions from the last 10 years who are not in the PGA Championship are Garcia (2017 Masters), Henrik Stenson (2016 Open Championship) and Bubba Watson (2014 Masters), all of them 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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