10 surprising players who missed the cut at the Open Championship

The 2022 Open Championship has officially reached its halfway point. And while most eyes have been on the top of the leaderboard, Friday featured some equally compelling storylines further down the board as players jockeyed to make the cut.

But for every heart-warming tale of a cut-line charge, there’s also a heart-breaking finish.

Here are 10 big-name players who won’t be around for the final 36 holes.

10 notables who missed the cut at the Open

Tiger Woods

What he shot: 78-75 (+9)

What went wrong: From the very first hole on Thursday, it was clear this wasn’t Woods’ week. That divot-aided double bogey hurt, but it was struggles on the greens that eventually did him in. He just wasn’t sharp with his wand at the Old Course.

Is it surprising? Yes, if only because of the hype leading into the week. If Woods could make the cut at the Masters and PGA earlier this spring, then surely he could at a course he knows (and loves) better than any other. Alas, that reality never came to fruition.

Brooks Koepka

What he shot: 73-75 (+4)

What went wrong: Koepka’s final five holes were an unmitigated disasters. Bogey-par-par-double-bogey. He wasn’t much of a factor in the tournament prior to the collapse, but that finishing stretch still hurts.

Is it surprising? Yes. Koepka used to be that dude in majors. A missed cut from him will always be a surprise.

Max Homa

What he shot: 73-72 (+1)

What went wrong: Homa was just stuck in neutral for most of the opening 36 holes. He didn’t make too many huge mistakes, but he also didn’t make many birdies, either. Just a so-so week for the four-time PGA Tour winner.

Is it surprising? A bit. While Homa is not quite in the elite tier of stars, he’s missed the weekend just once all season. A lackluster week in Scotland adds to that total.

Phil Mickelson

What he shot: 72-77 (+5)

What went wrong: Mickelson’s second round was ugly — especially the back nine. An inward 40, featuring thee bogeys and a double, assured him of an early flight home.

Is it surprising? Not really. Lefty is hardly in proper form, without a top 10 in over a year and three missed cuts in his last four starts, and his self-imposed hiatus from competitive golf did nothing to help matters. A weekend without Mickelson is par for the course these days.

Collin Morikawa

What he shot: 72-73 (+1)

What went wrong: Morikawa just couldn’t get anything going this week. He made seven birdies through 36 holes, but he also made eight bogeys to stifle any momentum. He just didn’t have it this week.

Is it surprising? Yes. Morikawa is the first defending champ at the Open to miss the cut since Darren Clarke in 2012. Everyone expected a better showing than this at the Old Course.

Zach Johnson

What he shot: 72-75 (+3)

What went wrong: Speaking of defending champs, Johnson had a rough week returning to the course where he became Champion Golfer of the Year in 2015. He played well enough Thursday, turning in an even-par scorecard, but a back-nine 39 on Friday ended his week prematurely.

Is it surprising? No. A missed cut at the Old Course marks the sixth consecutive major Johnson won’t play the weekend. This week just kept the streak alive.

Louis Oosthuizen

What he shot: 71-74 (+1)

What went wrong: Oosthuizen was cruising to a weekend tee time through 15 on Friday, but one poor hole doomed his chances. The 2010 Open champ carded triple at the par-4 16th to slip outside the cut line and send him home early.

Is it surprising? Yes. Although Oosthuizen has struggled in majors this season, his prior two starts at the old Course (win-T2) pointed to a strong showing this week. One bad hole was all it took to ruin his week.

Padraig Harrington

What he shot: 69-78 (+3)

What went wrong: Everything was going Harrington’s way at St. Andrews … until it wasn’t. The two-time Open champ fired 69 in Round 1 and then opened with back-to-back birdies on Friday to climb onto the first page of the leaderboard. Things went downhill from there. He played the final 16 holes in eight over to eject himself from the tournament.

Is is surprising? No, but also yes. No, because missing a cut in a major at this stage in Harrington’s career is not exactly rare. But also yes because the fashion in which he missed the cut was jarring.

Gary Woodland

What he shot: 74-76 (+6)

What went wrong: Woodland just couldn’t make any birdies this week. He only had three circles on the card over 36 holes (plus an eagle). He just wasn’t able to offset the mistakes he made.

Is it surprising? No. Woodland hasn’t done much of anything in majors since his Pebble Beach triumph three years ago, and this week was just a continuation of that mediocre play.

Henrik Stenson

What he shot: 75-70 (+1)

What went wrong: Stenson was safely inside the cut line for much of Friday, but back-to-back bogeys at 17 and 18 dropped him to the wrong side of the bubble. Tough way to get bounced from the tournament.

Is it surprising? Yes. Stenson has always played well at the Open with a win and four other top 10s, and this is just his fourth time missing the weekend.