Matt Fitzpatrick missed the cut at The Open. (Image: Getty)
The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale never fails to produce drama as the challenging 18-hole course in Southport puts even the most talented golfers through the ringer. In the 154th edition of the presitigous event, Scottie Scheffler was one of the big names to avoid trouble, while Rory McIlroy needed to dig deep to avoid an early exit on Friday.
Surprise package Lucas Herbert – 97th in the PGA World Rankings – snatched the headlines by completing an incredible card of 62 on day 2, securing his status as the new leader on -8. He missed out on registering the lowest-ever scorecard, going back to 1850, after missing a routine putt on the 18th.
Herbert leads the pack by two shots with Ryan Gerard, Jackson Suber and Cameron Young all on six-under, while Robert McIntyre, Alex Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Wallace are only British representatives inside the top 10. Bryson DeChambeau was up among the leaders before landing himself in hot water with the officials.
Players finishing inside the top 70, including ties, made the cut and will play throughout the weekend on Saturday and Sunday. The cut line was set at one over par or +1 on the leaderboard. and with several big names scrambling to secure their place, Express Sport looks at which players are heading home earlier than expected.
Matt Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick has been one of the best golfers in the world this year, but not even that form could save him from a shock early exit. The Englishman arrived with three wins under his belt in 2026 and was coming off a tie for third at the Genesis Scottish Open. But unlike his brother Alex, Fitzpatrick will not play the weekend after finishing with a two-day score of four-over to miss his first cut of the season.
He went back-to-back with rounds of 72, meaning he missed the cut for the first time at a major since the 2024 PGA Championship and his first at The Open since 2018. “You’ve just got to look at three or four holes for me,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’ve hit decent shots, gotten no luck and come away with four-over par. That’s the way links golf is. You need to have that rub of the green sometimes, and I didn’t have it this week.”
Justin Rose was one of the surprise names not to make it. (Image: Getty)
Justin Rose
It wasn’t long ago that the Englishman was battling Rory McIlroy in a play-off to win the Masters. But Rose has fallen off the cliff since then and his form took a beating at The Open.
The 45-year-old was some way off his best, finishing on +3, and he registered his disappointment in not being able to continue into the weekend: “That was special @TheOpen @royalbirkdale,” he tweeted. “Gutted I won’t be around for the weekend around that amazing golf course…. Thanks for all the support.”
Jordan Spieth
It was a nightmare return for the American, who won this event back in 2017. Already fighting against the current to make the cut, Speith three-putted from just three feet away.
That completed his misery, finishing his tournament on +10, ending his run of finishing in the top 30 every year since 2016.
Jordan Spieth had a disastrous day including a three-putt from 3ft away (Image: Getty)
Wyndham Clark
Reigning U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark gave himself too much to do after posting double bogeys on the second and third holes. Clark made a valiant effort to get himself back into the running but he shot 73-70, leaving him three-over for the tournament.
Clark even went as high as seven over par after eight holes of his second round. However, the American managed to salvage some pride by with birdies on the 15th and 16th holes, followed by an eagle on the 17th.
Viktor Hovland
As the first man from his country to win a PGA Tour event, the Norwegian would have been fancied to snag a top-20 finish at the tournament going in ranked 12th in the world.
Instead, it was a difficult weekend for the 28-year-old. His weekend chances were over before they even began, going five over par on day 2 to leave him with an impossible task. At the 16th, he needed to finish with eagles on his final two holes just to rescue himself but could only manage a birdie on the 17th, leaving him on four-over-par.
Viktor Hovland could only manage to finish on 4. (Image: Getty)
Joaquin Niemann
Joaquin Niemann has racked up some notable victories in the LIV Golf League. But the Chilean continues to struggle in the major leagues.
Niemann, 27, followed up his tied-7th finish at the BMW Championships with an underwhelming score of +4 in Scotland.
Cameron Smith
The Australian fell way short of expectations with another disappointing display at a championship event. Smith was considered among the best golfers in the world only a few years back.
Now, the 32-year-old finished on +2 and missed the cut at Royal Birkdale. That follows on from his anonymous display at the US Open, where he also missed the cut on +6.