Tiger Woods did not submit an entry for the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale before last week’s deadline, per Sports Illustrated. He has no automatic exemption into next month’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. He already missed the Masters and PGA Championship. That’s all four majors, for the second year in a row.
The last time Woods competed in a major was the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon, where he missed the cut.
Woods, 50, had been working toward a return for the 2026 Masters following a torn Achilles suffered just before the 2025 Masters and a seventh back surgery, a lumbar disc replacement, in October. Those plans ended on March 27, when he was involved in a single-car rollover crash near his Jupiter Island, Florida, home and was arrested on suspicion of DUI. He announced days later that he was stepping away to seek treatment and entered a rehabilitation facility in Switzerland. He returned to Florida in mid-May.
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He pleaded not guilty to the DUI charge. A court date is set for July 7.
Woods withdrew from consideration for the U.S. Ryder Cup captaincy following the arrest and stepped back from his seat on the PGA Tour Policy Board. USGA CEO Mike Whan told Sports Illustrated he would be “super surprised” if Woods competed in any USGA event in 2026.
Woods still holds permanent exemptions to the Masters and PGA Championship as a past champion. His Open Championship exemption runs until he turns 60. He has no path to the U.S. Open without qualifying or a special exemption.
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His last PGA Tour start was the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon, nearly two years ago.
