Top 5 big names who missed the Open Championship cut
After the first two rounds of The Open Championship, 70 players made it through the weekend. The cut line after 36 holes was set at +3, which speaks of how demanding the Royal Liverpool Golf Club course has been. The two opening rounds have left several surprises. As in every tournament, there have also been several illustrious names who have failed to make the cut.
Let's take a look at the five biggest names who will not be able to play this weekend at The Open Championship.
#1 Phil Mickelson, third consecutive cut at The Open Championship
World golf legend Phil Mickelson fell well below the cut line as he closed out The Open Championship at +9. Mickelson had a very unlucky first round with two double bogeys and a triple bogey among his scores. The second day was slightly better, but not enough to even come close to making the cut.
It really hasn't been a good season for Mickelson. Except for his tremendous result in The Masters (runner-up), his performance has been rather underwhelming.
His best result in LIV Golf is a 15th-place finish in Singapore, and he has been out of the Top 30 in five of the nine tournaments played. As for the majors, he was at a great height in The Masters, but it was not the same in the PGA Championship (T58). He was also cut in the US Open.
This is the third consecutive missed cut for Mickelson at The Open Championship (2021-23). However, it is only the ninth cut in his brilliant career, which includes 29 appearances, one title, two runners-up finishes, and one third-place finish.
#2 Justin Thomas
Justin Thomas finished The Open Championship with a score of +11, way behind the cut line. The first day was very difficult for Thomas, with five bogeys, two double bogeys, and a quadruple bogey on the 18th hole. His only two birdies of the day served only to make up the score of 11 over 82.
The second day was much better, although Thomas was unable to do more than hold his score. This Friday, he played for even par with three birdies and three bogeys. However, his bed was already made.
#3 Talor Gooch
Talor Gooch may not be one of the most storied players in world golf, but his form this season boded well for a better performance at Hoylake. Three wins and four other top 20s in the nine events that have been played so far on the LIV Golf circuit gave him credence to at least be around for the weekend.
However, Gooch was four strokes behind the cut line (+7). Overall, he was far from his best.
#4 Dustin Johnson
Dustin Johnson's performance at The Open Championship was very poor. His second round (+10) is probably one of the worst of his career.
Logically, after finishing in the Top 10 at the US Open a month ago and with the stellar season he has had at LIV Golf (one win, three Top 10s, and only one result outside the Top 30), his presence was expected on the weekend.
#5 Collin Morikawa
It is fair to say that Collin Morikawa missed the cut by just one stroke (+4). The American had a few missed opportunities during the two rounds, and the result was disappointing.
He was very good at the Rocket Mortgage Classic a couple of weeks ago, and it was expected that he could find his best game, the same one that led him to win two majors.