Woods extends major absence with non-entry at Open Championship

Tiger Woods has not entered the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, missing the submission deadline set by Sports Illustrated last week. The failure to enter marks the second consecutive year the 50-year-old has missed all four major championships, resulting in a streak of eight consecutive majors absent from his record. Woods’ absence from professional golf remains indefinite following a DUI arrest and a subsequent rehabilitation stint in Switzerland.

The 15-time major winner’s absence in 2026 follows a rollover car crash in Jupiter, Florida, on 27 March, which led to his arrest and entry into a treatment program. This incident interrupted a planned return to competition that had been ramping up at the 2026 Masters. Woods had previously missed the 2025 major season due to injury, including a torn Achilles suffered just before the 2025 Masters and subsequent back surgery.

Woods will also miss the upcoming U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills as he does not hold an exemption for that event. While he retains permanent exemptions for the Masters and PGA Championship as a past champion, his Open Championship exemption as a former winner ends after he turns 60. The window for past winners to retain automatic entry for the U.S. Open is shorter than for other majors, leaving Woods without qualification status for the June event.

Since his 2021 car crash, Woods has competed in only eight majors, finishing all four rounds twice at the Masters in 2022 and 2024. He has recorded four missed cuts and two withdrawals, with his last major round played at the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon, where he missed the cut.

Longtime rival Phil Mickelson has also missed the first two majors of 2026. Although Mickelson reportedly submitted an entry for the Open Championship and remains exempt as a past champion, his participation is uncertain following a late withdrawal from the Masters due to an undisclosed family matter. Mickelson will not attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open, the lone major trophy he has yet to win.

Despite the absence of these prominent figures, the current field of stars led by Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler continues to thrive. The sport has demonstrated its resilience in the post-Tiger and post-Phil era, with the new generation of players sustaining the game’s profile even in the absence of its most legendary competitors.