Tiger Woods not included in field for 2023 PGA Championship

Just one week from now, the world’s best golfers will be participating in the second major tournament of the year. The 2023 PGA Championship is set to take place at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. Justin Thomas comes in as the defending champion but unfortunately, one of his best friends will not be participating.

Tiger Woods was not included in the PGA Championship field released on Wednesday. He was last seen on the golf course in Augusta, playing in the third round of the Masters. However, Woods withdrew due to injury.

Woods has been a mainstay for the PGA Championship, winning the major four times. The last time he missed the event came back in 2020 and before then, in 2016 while recovering from injuries.

Last season, Woods was able to play three rounds at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, OK. He was forced to withdraw from the final round there as well, finishing at 12-over.

Attention will now turn to some of golf’s other stars with Woods out of the field. Thomas will be back in the mix and John Rahm is fresh off a Masters win. Scottie Scheffler is among the favorites as well, hoping to add a second major championship to his resume.

Tiger Woods still recovering from surgery following Masters appearance

Everyone was happy to see Woods back on the golf course at Augusta National. Watching him make the cut brought even more delight to fans. But once the weather got bad and Woods was still struggling through an injury, he decided to withdraw.

Shortly after the tournament, Woods announced he underwent surgery to address some arthritis problems. He is still recovering and was not likely to ever participate in the PGA Championship.

“Earlier today, Tiger underwent a subtalar fusion procedure to address his post-traumatic arthritis from his previous talus fracture,” the statement released in April said.

“It was performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley at HSS Sports Medicine Institue in New York City. He has determined the surgery to be successful.

“Tiger is currently recovering and looks forward to beginning his rehabilitation.”

To this point, no specific timeline has been given for Woods. He has previously expressed his desire to play in all of the majors. The US Open is scheduled for mid-June, while the British Open will be nearly a month later.

Even so, there might be a chance he does not make another appearance this season.