PGA: Tony Finau will miss his second-straight major; Why has the Utah golfer been struggling?

Tony Finau watches his drive on the the thirteenth hole during the first round of the Valero Texas Open golf tournament in San Antonio, Thursday, April 2, 2026. | Eric Gay Barring a couple last-minute withdrawals from the 2026 PGA Championship, Utahn Tony Finau will miss his second-straight golf major when the tournament begins at Aronimink Golf Club near Philadelphia on Thursday. Finau was arguably one of the 20 best golfers in the world at the height of his career from 2018 to 2023, but saw his streak of 33 consecutive appearances in majors snapped last month when he failed to qualify for the Masters.

Now he’s almost certainly on the outside looking in at the PGA Championship. Finau, 36, is currently No. 119 in the Official World Golf Ranking and was the third alternate to play in the event as of midday Wednesday.

It is a shame that Finau won’t play in the PGA, because he has generally played well in the event that features 20 PGA of America club professionals in the 156-player field. Finau tied for 19th at 2-under 282 at Quail Hollow in the PGA last year and has missed only one cut (2016 at Baltusrol) in 11 PGA Championship appearances. His best finish was a T4 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco in 2020.

Clearly, the six-time winner on the PGA Tour, whose most recent victory came in the 2023 Mexico Open, is struggling to regain the form he had three years ago. Among the favorites to win the second major of the professional golf season this year in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, are two-time reigning Masters champion Rory McIlroy, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, the red-hot Cameron Young, Spaniard Jon Rahm and swashbuckling Swede Ludvig Aberg — all players with whom Finau competed favorably against just three or four years ago.