Tiger Woods officially set to miss all four majors again after Open decision

Tiger Woods will not play in The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale from 16-19 July after failing to submit an entry before last week’s deadline.

The update was first confirmed by Sports Illustrated's Bob Harig. 

While the R&A has yet to officially confirm the final field, Woods’ absence was widely expected following the fallout from his car crash and DUI arrest in Florida on 27 March.

The decision means Woods, 50, will miss all four major championships for the second straight season.

The 15-time major champion is not exempt for next month’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills and also chose not to attempt qualification, effectively bringing another major campaign to an early end.

Woods had initially hoped to return to competitive action at The Masters in April after undergoing the seventh back surgery of his career six months previous. 

But those plans were derailed following the March incident, after which Woods stepped away from several commitments within the sport. 

Woods withdrew from consideration for the 2027 U.S. Ryder Cup captaincy, which ended up going to Jim Furyk.

He also paused his involvement with the PGA Tour Policy Board and Future Competition Committee, and later confirmed he would focus entirely on his health and rehabilitation.

Since his car crash and DUI arrest, Woods has remained largely out of the public eye.

Woods' only public comments came yesterday during a Memorial Day tribute posted on social media honouring his late father, Earl Woods, a former Special Forces soldier and Vietnam veteran.

Woods has spent the past two months at a specialist rehabilitation clinic in Switzerland.

The golf legend is believed to be receiving intensive psychological treatment while also working with doctors on pain management without the use of addictive opioids.

Woods’ private jet recently returned to Zurich from Florida after he briefly travelled back to the United States earlier this month.

Reports claimed the visit may have been linked to supporting his girlfriend, Vanessa Trump, after she publicly revealed a breast cancer diagnosis. .

While Woods has placed no official timeline on his return to the sport, eyebrows were raised earlier today when a graphic promoting the Baycurrent Classic featured a photo of the former world number one. 

Defending champion Xander Schauffele, and former winners Hideki Matsuyama and Collin Morikawa also appeared on the promotional poster. 

Whether Woods, who won the tournamet in 2019, plans to make a return to action in the FedEx Fall event this October remains to be seen. 

Woods has not played on Tour now since missing the cut at The Open at Royal Troon in July 2024.

Since suffering serious leg injuries in his 2021 car crash, one that nearly killed him, Woods has played in just eight majors.

During that period, he has missed four cuts with a best finish of 47th coming at the 2022 Masters. 

His last top-10 finish in a major remains his historic 15th career major win at The Masters in 2019.

Despite his absence this season, Woods remains exempt for The Open until the age of 60 thanks to his victories in 2000, 2005 and 2006.

Meanwhile, SI's Harig has confirmed Phil Mickelson has entered The Open field at Royal Birkdale, although his participation remains uncertain. 

The LIV Golf star and six-time major champion has stepped away from competition in recent months due to a private family matter and has played only once in 2026.