By Bilal Ahmed
Several prominent golfers, including former champions and recent major winners, did not advance to the weekend rounds at the Open Championship held at Royal Birkdale. The field saw a cut line set at one over par, meaning players at one over par or better would continue play.
Among those who missed the cut was Jordan Spieth, who previously won the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale in 2017. Spieth posted scores of 73 and 77, finishing at 10-over par. His second round included a three-putt from three feet and a quadruple bogey on the par-5 17th hole. Despite having made 16 of 18 cuts this year, Spieth has not recorded a top 10 finish.
Justin Rose, another player with previous positive experiences at Royal Birkdale, also missed the cut. Rose shot 75 and 68, ending at three-over par. His first round was particularly challenging, featuring six bogeys and a double bogey, which he was unable to fully recover from on Friday.
Notable Players Depart Early
Matthew Fitzpatrick, who has been considered one of the top four players globally this year with three wins and a T3 finish in Scotland, concluded his tournament with rounds of 72 and 72, finishing at four-over par. This result ended his streak of 28 consecutive made cuts on Tour. Fitzpatrick expressed disappointment, citing bad luck with bounces and lies on the firm links course.
Viktor Hovland, a recent winner of the Travelers Championship, also failed to make the cut. After an even-par 70 in the first round, Hovland struggled on Friday, playing holes 4-10 in five over par and missing the cut by two shots. This marks his second missed cut in his last three Open appearances and his third consecutive major this season where he has not made the weekend.
Wyndham Clark, who won the U.S. Open last month, shot 73 and 70. Despite a strong charge on Friday with a birdie-birdie-eagle run from holes 15 through 17, two early double bogeys on Friday ultimately sealed his fate. This is Clark’s first missed cut since the PGA Championship.
Tom Kim, the recent winner of the Scottish Open, opened with an even-par 70 but followed it with a 73 on Friday, missing the cut. Kim’s second round included six bogeys to three birdies. This was his first missed cut since the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in late April.
Cameron Smith, a former Open champion, also departed early. He posted scores of 73 and 69. After a strong start to his second round with four birdies in his first eight holes, a double bogey on the par-3 15th proved costly. Smith commented on the demanding nature of major championship courses, stating, “Just one bad swing. That’s the golf course in major championships. They just constantly ask questions.” This marks his third consecutive missed cut at the Open.
Other Surprising Exits
Joaquin Niemann, despite recent strong finishes at Aronimink and the U.S. Open, recorded rounds of 76 and 68, missing the cut. His first round saw no birdies, and he struggled with his approach game and putting. This is Niemann’s third missed cut in the last four years at the Open.
Veteran golfer Padraig Harrington, a two-time Open champion, also missed the cut after an opening round of 80. He improved significantly on Friday with a 69, but it was not enough to make the weekend. Harrington noted that despite the score difference, his game did not feel substantially better on Friday compared to Thursday.
Other notable players who missed the cut include Billy Horschel, who has now missed the cut in six of his last eight starts, and Harris English, who missed his third consecutive cut, including back-to-back majors. Henrik Stenson, the 2016 Open champion, also missed the cut for the fourth time in his last six Open appearances, struggling with his putting on Friday. Aaron Rai, the PGA Championship winner, missed the cut by one shot after a 22-foot par putt on the final hole did not drop. Akshay Bhatia, with rounds of 71-73, bogeyed three of his last four holes on Friday to miss the cut, marking his sixth missed cut in 12 career major appearances.
Seventy-nine golfers made the cut at one-over 141 or better.
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Source: golf.com
