Sergio Garcia Disqualified from PGA; 99/100 Top Players Compete

The PGA Championship announced a robust lineup for its 2022 event, featuring 99 of the world's top 100 ranked players, regardless of the tour they participate in. The only top-ranked player missing from the roster is Sergio Garcia. The prestigious tournament will commence on May 18 at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York.

Kerry Haigh, chief championships officer for the PGA of America, had previously committed to assembling the strongest possible field, drawing from golfers across all tours. The 155-player list contains 18 players from the Saudi-funded LIV Golf—equivalent to the 89-man field at the Masters tournament held in April.

This year's event will include Phil Mickelson, who missed his 2021 title defense due to personal time off following controversial comments he made about the Saudis and the PGA Tour. However, other former top-ranked players like Tiger Woods, Will Zalatoris, and Sergio Garcia are absent from the list due to injuries or lower rankings.

LIV Golf events are still not eligible for Official World Golf Ranking points, as their application is still under review. As a result, some players who have slipped out of the top 100 led to not being invited to the PGA Championship.

Although the PGA of America does not publicly disclose the criteria for special invitations, it is known that they have extended offers to Webb Simpson and LIV player Paul Casey for this year's tournament.

The final spot in the lineup is reserved for the winner of the AT&T Byron Nelson competition, provided they are not already part of the PGA Championship field. Current defending champion Justin Thomas will also be returning, having clinched his second PGA title last year at Southern Hills in a thrilling playoff against Zalatoris.

Several other players have received special invitations to compete, including Danish twins Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard and Rikuya Hoshino. However, not all major champions from the past decade are guaranteed a spot, with some notable absentees being Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, and Bubba Watson.