Tiger Woods is all set to return to golf next week at the US PGA Championship as the PGA of America announced the field for the year’s second major. The tournament will be played from May 16-19 at Valhalla Golf Course. Woods has won the tournament four times in his career – 1999, 2006, 2006, and 2007 as well.
A total of 156 players will be participating in the tournament with PGA of America releasing 154 names. The rest two spots will go to the winners of Wells Fargo Championship and Myrtle Beach Classic. The tournament field includes 16 former winners and 33 major winners as well.
Apart from Woods, defending champion Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy and current world number one Scottie Scheffler will also take part in the prestigious tournament. The field also includes LIV Golf’s Talor Gooch who had won the former rival tour’s individual title last season.
PGA of America has been level headed in their approach to LIV Golf players after it was announced in the June last year that LIV and PGA would merge to become one single entity.
Gooch has been extended an special invitation to play in the major as he doesn’t qualify under the regular qualification process which requires high ranking in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) or winning on the PGA Tour.
Notably, LIV Golf players do not receive points from LIV tournament hence their ranking doesn’t improve on OWGR. Some of the LIV players, however, qualified for this year’s PGA Championship on the basis of their previous victory like Koepka and Phil Mickelson.
A few of the LIV players have also qualified to play at Valhalla by putting a strong show at the other majors in recent years such as Jon Rahm winning 2023 Masters and Dustin Johnson winning it in 2020.
