A major championship field tells you a lot about where golf stands. And as two-time major winner

Dustin Johnson prepares to tee it up at the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club next week, the 41-year-old hasn’t been shy about what it means to him.

“The PGA of America, we’ve got a great relationship. I’ve supported them for a long time. I’m very, very thankful that they gave me an invite. I’m very honored,” Johnson said ahead of his 17th PGA Championship start. “The game’s good enough where I feel like I can definitely compete, so hopefully next week’s going to be a great week.”

This invite extends Johnson’s streak of 69 consecutive majors, a run that started at the 2008 PGA Championship at Oakland Hills. Now 41 and chasing a third major title to accompany his 2016 U.S. Open and 2020 Masters wins, Johnson believes his current form is stronger than it was in the past six months.

“I’ve been playing better the last six months or so. Driving is the biggest part of my game, and it’s coming back. Now I’m able to focus on my short game, putting, and wedges again like I was playing my best,” the 4Aces GC captain said.

His confidence, however, has been tested in recent years.

Since the start of 2024, Johnson has played in nine majors and missed the cut in five of them. At the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, where he had also received a special exemption, he carded a 78 and a 76 in the opening two rounds, finishing 12 over and well short of the weekend. Additionally, he also missed the cut at the Masters and the U.S. Open in the same year.

And it is that recent record that has divided opinion on his special invitation to the PGA Championship next week, despite his eligibility running out last year. Many fans felt his elite career made him deserving of the spot, while others were not as generous. One of the supporters of the invitation put it plainly, “A two-time major champ deserves special treatment, I mean, an invitation.”

On the other hand, some questioned his recent form at majors, with one fan noting that he has been “non-existent in majors in the last three to four years.” Fans perceive it as controversial because of his poor LIV performance—this season, he has managed just one top-10 finish in six events—and his lack of official world ranking points.

If anything, the PGA Championship has always been a different tournament for Johnson. He has had six top-10 finishes, including his back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2019 at Bethpage Black and 2020 at TPC Harding Park. The upcoming championship at Aronimink also works in his favor, as he is well aware of the course.

He played the Donald Ross layout in 2018 at the BMW Championship. It is a long, tree-lined course that demands power and accuracy off the tee, both of which are Johnson’s strengths.

Moving on, Johnson is not the only one receiving a special exemption into the 2026 PGA Championship.

Teammate Thomas Detry is also on his way in

Johnson’s 4Aces GC teammate, Thomas Detry, also received a special exemption into the 2026 PGA Championship. However, the entry to the championship for Thomas is very different from that of Johnson’s.

The 33-year-old ranks third in LIV Golf’s season-long point standings with three top-five finishes in his last four tournaments. So it’s his form that has got him the special invitation. Beyond his achievements this season, in February 2025, Detry became the first Belgian to win on the PGA Tour when he claimed the WM Phoenix Open by seven shots.

That breakthrough win capped a season in which he finished 44th in the FedEx Cup standings and earned over $3.6 million in prize money. He also secured his place among the Tour’s top players. This year marks his fifth PGA Championship start, with his best result in a major being T4 at the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla.

With his recent run of form, Detry arrives as one of the more intriguing names in the field, another player many will be watching closely as the week unfolds.