The second Major of the year features arguably the strongest field in golf, with 156 professionals teeing it up at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania, all hoping to get their hands on the Wanamaker Trophy.
Among the world-class stars appearing at the event are a number from LIV Golf, who have earned their spots via a series of routes.
There are fewer LIV Golfers in the field than a year ago, when 15 played at Quail Hollow.
This year, 11 will play in the tournament, one lower than the number eligible following two-time champion Phil Mickelson’s withdrawal as he deals with a family health matter.
The number is further reduced by the fact that two members of the field, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed, were LIV Golfers at last year’s event but have since moved on.
Here are the 11 LIV Golfers who will play in the 2026 event, along with details on how they got there.
Bryson DeChambeau
The moment DeChambeau holed the winning putt at the 2024 US Open, he was assured of his place in the PGA Championship field, with the winners of any Major given a five-year exemption to the other three.
The Crushers GC captain has come close to winning the tournament in each of the last three editions, finishing T4 in 2023 before missing out as runner-up to Xander Schauffele in 2025 and Scottie Scheffler a year ago.
Even another close call would be preferable to the fate suffered by DeChambeau in the first Major of the year, The Masters, where a triple bogey on the 18th in the second round saw him miss the cut at Augusta National.
Thomas Detry
Thomas Detry is one of several LIV Golfers who officially takes his place thanks to a PGA of America invite, although in reality, the top 100 in the world rankings will typically receive one.
The Belgian has had an unbroken run of over three years in the top 100, so his appearance was never really in doubt, and he stood 69th at the cut-off.
Detry’s PGA Championship record is a mixed bag, with two missed cuts, a T40 and a T4, his best ever Major finish, which he achieved in 2024.
He’ll be hoping for something more like that performance, which came at Valhalla, this year.
Tyrrell Hatton
Englishman Hatton is in the field courtesy of his 2025 Ryder Cup appearance for Team Europe at Bethpage Black, with any member of either side eligible as long as they were in the world's top 100 at the cut-off.
Hatton, who was 25th at the deadline, has been one of the standout LIV Golfers at Majors in recent years, including finishing tied for third at The Masters.
However, he hasn’t finished in the top 10 of the PGA Championship since 2018, so he’ll be looking to rectify that at Aronimink.
Dustin Johnson
For the second consecutive year, Johnson has received a special invitation to the PGA Championship, meaning he has now qualified for the last 69 Majors, dating back to the 2008 tournament.
He has never won the Wanamaker Trophy, although he has six top-10s, including back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2019 and 2020.
Johnson’s recent Major record is not strong, though, having missed the cut in six of the last ten, while he only has two top-10s from 15 Majors since joining LIV Golf.
Martin Kaymer
One of the times Johnson came closest to winning the tournament was 2010, where he thought he had reached a playoff, only to receive a penalty for 'grounding' his club in a bunker on the 72nd hole.
In the end, Bubba Watson and Martin Kaymer battled it out in extra holes, with Kaymer emerging the winner.
As a result of that achievement, Kaymer guaranteed his PGA Championship spot for life. He will be hoping for an improvement on 2025, where he missed the cut.
Tom McKibbin
Like Detry, Tom McKibbin received an invite to the PGA Championship, although he very nearly missed out.
The Northern Irishman was 100th in the world rankings at the cut-off, meaning just one place lower and he would have likely not received the nod.
As it is, he will make his sixth Major appearance and second in the PGA Championship, having placed T50 a year ago.
Joaquin Niemann
Niemann is one of the biggest talents in the game, but curiously, it took him until his 24th Major appearance to record his first top 10.
That came at last year’s PGA Championship, where, playing thanks to a special invitation at Quail Hollow, he placed tied for eighth.
That was a result that ensured his participation in the 2026 edition, with spots available to the top 15 and ties.
David Puig
Puig is another LIV Golfer who makes his way to the tournament thanks to an invite as one of the world’s top 100.
The Spaniard was 59th in the rankings at the cut-off, meaning he will make his third consecutive appearance at the event.
His debut came in 2024, resulting in a missed cut, but he improved at Quail Hollow a year ago, finishing T60. He’ll be looking to continue that upward trajectory at Aronimink.
Jon Rahm
Rahm has victories in the US Open and The Masters, and it’s thanks to his recent success in Majors that he was assured of participation in the 2026 PGA Championship.
He’s still waiting for his first title at the event, but he has come close before, with a T4 in 2018, a tie for eighth in 2021 and an identical result a year ago.
His most recent attempt was arguably the one that really got away, as he tied the lead with eventual winner Scottie Scheffler with a birdie at the 11th in the final round.
However, just when it looked like the two would slug it out for the title, things turned sour for Rahm, particularly over the last three holes, where he went five-over to finish seven back of Scheffler.
Cameron Smith
Cameron Smith has known he would be eligible for the 2026 PGA Championship since winning The Open four years ago.
Including that victory, Smith has nine top-10s in Majors, but only one came at the PGA Championship, with a tie for ninth in 2023.
Even more worrying for the Australian is his recent Major form, which has seen him miss the cut in each of his last six starts at the events.
He’ll be desperate to arrest that sequence to at least give him something to hang onto ahead of the two remaining Majors that follow, including the chance of a second Open title.
Elvis Smylie
Another LIV Golfer who received an invite courtesy of his standing in the world’s top 100 is Smylie, who is 89th.
Thanks to that, the Australian will make his fourth Major appearance and second in the PGA Championship, having placed T72 a year ago.
If Smylie’s debut LIV Golf season is anything to go by so far, we could see an improvement this year, as he’s already claimed his first win, in Riyadh, in his first appearance on the circuit, while he also placed T8 at LIV Golf Hong Kong.
