For the second year in a row, one of golf’s all-time greats will miss all four of the sport’s major championships. Tiger Woods did not submit an entry for the 2026 British Open Championship at Royal Birkdale by last week’s deadline, according to Sports Illustrated. He does not have an exemption for next month’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, meaning the 15-time major champion will be out indefinitely and unable to play in eight consecutive majors.
Woods, 50, missed the 2025 major league season due to injury and the 2026 season due to a second DUI arrest and a period of rehabilitation overseas.
After a torn Achilles tendon (injured just before the 2025 Masters) and another hip surgery, he was preparing to return at the 2026 Masters. However, due to a rollover car accident in Jupiter, Florida on March 27th, drunk driving arrestthen he Swiss treatment program.
Since his car accident in 2021, Woods has only played in eight major tournaments, finishing all four rounds twice at the 2022 and 2024 Masters, but missed four times and withdrew twice. His last major round came in 2024 at the British Open, where he missed the cut at Royal Troon.
As a past champion, Woods has been given a lifetime exemption to play in the Masters and PGA Championship. However, as a former champion, his exemption from the British Open Championship ends when he turns 60, and he is no longer eligible for an exemption from the US Open due to the short number of spots available for past champions.
Long-time rival Phil Mickelson also missed the first two majors of 2026 and will not try to qualify for the US Open in June, despite it being the only major trophy he has yet to win. Mickelson has reportedly submitted an entry to the British Open Championship as he is exempt as a past champion, but it is unclear whether he will actually make the trip to Royal Birkdale in July after withdrawing late from the Masters due to undisclosed family circumstances.
It’s strange to see two of the most prominent names in golf this century absent from recent majors, but after years of doubts about golf’s ability to survive in the post-Tiger (and, to a lesser extent, post-Phil) era, this current group of stars, led by Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, has proven that golf can indeed survive and thrive even without legendary figures.
