The 2025 U.S. Open kicks off this week, and the field of 156 features 11 past champions, 15 amateurs, 14 LIV golfers, 24 of the top 25 golfers in the Official World Golf Ranking and a slew of amazing stories.
But the tee sheet at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, will also be missing some star power. The list of notable names who didn’t qualify (or are injured) in 2025 is lengthy.
Notable golfers not playing in 2025 U.S. Open
Rickie Fowler
Fowler got into the British Open last Sunday and then tried to qualify for the U.S. Open the next but came up short in a 5-for-1 playoff in one of the final qualifiers. It was just two years ago Fowler opened the U.S. Open with a 62, tying the major championship record.
Max Homa
Homa was in that same 5-for-1 playoff in Ohio that Fowler was in, only to see Cameron Young birdie the first playoff hole and send everyone packing.
Webb Simpson
The 2012 U.S. Open champ fell short in qualifying.
Keith Mitchell
Cardigan Keith did not advance out of final qualifying.
Jake Knapp
Knapp was in the same qualifier as Homa and Fowler but was not a part of the playoff.
Matt Kuchar
Kuchar was also part of that same qualifier, which was held in Columbus, Ohio, a traditional final qualifier spot for those who played in the Memorial the weekend before.
Adam Hadwin
See Kuchar, Knapp, etc.
Nicolai Hojgaard
Fell short in a final qualifier in Florida.
Garrick Higgo
PGA Tour winners get spots in the U.S. Open but not in opposite-field tournaments, so while Higgo’s win in the Dominican Republic six weeks ago earned him a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour, it didn’t give him the bonus of a U.S. Open spot. Higgo actually WD’d from a final qualifier in Canada.
Camilo Villegas
Villegas WD’d from the same qualifier in Canada.
Francesco Molinari
Molinari famously made an ace on his final hole in last year’s U.S. Open to make the cut on the number.
Brandt Snedeker
Sneds, recently named the captain for the Presidents Cup in 2026, took full advantage of a sponsor exemption at the Memorial last weekend, parlaying that into a tie for seventh. He could not keep the good play going a day later, coming up short in a final qualifier in Ohio.
Billy Horschel
Horschel is ranked 25th in the OWGR, and he’s the highest-ranked golfer not in the U.S. Open this year. It was a month ago when Horschel announced hip surgery. He says he’s hopeful for a late summer/fall return to the PGA Tour.
Sahith Theegala
Theegala withdrew from the RBC Canadian Open last week due to a neck injury, and he also had to back out of the U.S. Open at Oakmont with his ailing neck.
Will Zalatoris
Another guy who recently had surgery, except Z went under the knife for back surgery.
Tiger Woods
Woods ruptured his Achilles in March. There’s no timetable for his return, though he’s not likely to play until later this year or perhaps as late as early 2026. This will be the eighth U.S. Open Woods will miss since making his debut in 1996. He also missed 2011, 2014, 2016 (the last time Oakmont hosted), 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023.
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