PGA Championship delivers strongest field for majors

Even if Lanto Griffin was thinking only about the next shot, his 32 over the final nine holes of the Wells Fargo Championship made him the last man to qualify for the PGA Championship. Maybe.

It’s hard to tell with the PGA of America, which lacks the transparency of the other majors but makes amends by delivering the strongest field every year.

When the final field was announced Monday — one of the 156 spots is set aside for the winner of the AT&T Byron Nelson if he’s not already eligible — the PGA Championship was assured of having the top 100 players in the world, provided they all play.

Defending champion Phil Mickelson is still on the list, though that’s not breaking news. While out of public view since he managed to offend the PGA Tour and the Saudi-funded rival league he’s been promoting, there’s been no official word whether Lefty will be at

Southern Hills next week.

More promising are the prospects of Tiger Woods, the last winner at Southern Hills. And still listed somewhere between “questionable” and “doubtful” if golf had an injury report is Bryson DeChambeau, who only last week had stitches removed after surgery on his left hand.

No one doubts the PGA Championship has the strongest field, even with three past champions tied for last in the world ranking, and 20 professionals who spend more hours running their golf clubs than grinding on their short games.

It’s how it arrives at its field that remains a mystery.

The goal is to have the top 100 in the world. It just doesn’t say that anywhere in the criteria.

There are places for major champions, top finishers from last year’s PGA Championship, PGA Tour winners over the last year, recent Ryder Cup players still in the top 100 and a PGA Tour money list from the last 12 months.

And then there are “special exemptions.”

One of these days, the PGA of America will get around to calling it what it is: a category to fill the field with the top 100 players in the world who aren’t already in.

Kerry Haigh, the chief championships officer for the PGA of America, tipped his hand last year when 99 of the top 100 — Matthew Wolff was missing — played at Kiawah Island.

“It’s something we pride ourselves on at the PGA Championship, that we have the strongest field as measured by the Official World Golf Ranking,”

Haigh said.

The special exemptions are not only about the world ranking. Henrik Stenson and Zach Johnson received exemptions, just like current Ryder Cup captains before them. Billy Horschel was among those who received an exemption before the PGA points list (money list) was finalized.