List of all the golfers playing the PGA Championship for the first time feat. Chris Gotterup

Thanks to various qualifying methods, each Major tournament, including the PGA Championship, has first-time players. Whether it's because they just won another tournament or earned enough points for the first time, every single Major brings new players to the field.

The 2024 PGA Championship, which just finalized the field ahead of this weekend's festivities, has plenty of first-time players. These golfers have never participated in this event. Here's who they are:

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All the first-time PGA Championship participants

By virtue of his victory last weekend at the Myrtle Beach Classic, Chris Gotterup has been added to the PGA Championship field. That win, which he earned by six strokes, was the first win he'd recorded in his PGA Tour career. It couldn't have come at a better time.

Ludvig Aberg will also be making his PGA Championship debut. He played his first-ever Major tournament last month, but this is the first time he's in the field for the second Major of the year. He is joined by the following first-time players:

• Josh Bevell
• Akshay Bhatia
• Preston Cole
• Tyler Collet
• Matt Dobyns
• Nick Dunlap
• Austin Eckroat
• Doug Ghim
• Ben Griffin
• Larkin Gross
• Jared Jones
• Jeff Kellen
• Jake Knapp
• Kazuma Kobori
• Ben Kohles
• Kyle Mendoza
• Jesse Mueller
• Keita Nakajima
• Vincent Norrman
• Zac Oakley
• Tracy Phillips
• Ben Polland
• David Puig
• Andrew Putnam
• John Somers
• Alejandro Tosti
• Tim Widing
• Wyatt Worthington II

Several of these players are club pros who are invited in by the PGA of America based on their performances in club pro tournaments. It's one qualifier that is restricted to them, which gives them a shot at making it in. It's how fan-favorite Michael Block has played in six PGA Championships.

Other qualifications are based on OWGR ranks. For example, Ludvig Aberg is ranked high enough to get into the field. There are also special invitations handed out. Several LIV Golf players were given invites, including David Puig, a first-time player.

Ludvig Aberg is playing the PGA for the first time

Akshay Bhatia may be a first-time player in the PGA Championship, but he's had loads of success at Valhalla, the venue for this weekend. He said (via the New York Times):

“I always go back to those three moments I’ve had,” Bhatia said, “Barracuda, Valero and Valhalla. Those are all shots I needed to make and I was able to do it three times. It shows me that I can dig deep and truly embrace the moment when a lot of people can’t.”

Whether or not that success will carry over to one of the biggest tournaments of Bhatia's career remains to be seen, but he and Aberg might be unlike many of the other first-time players.