The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale saw several high-profile casualties as Justin Rose and Jordan Spieth failed to make the weekend cut. The cut line fell at one-over-par, ending the tournament for many prominent stars.
Lucas Herbert Shocks with Record-Equalling 62
The standout performance of the second round belonged to surprise package Lucas Herbert. The world No.97 rocketed to the top of the leaderboard at eight-under par after shooting a sensational 62. He came agonisingly close to posting the lowest single-round score in the tournament's history, a record stretching back to 1850, but ultimately had to settle for equalling that feat.
Justin Rose's Struggles Continue
It wasn't so long ago that the Englishman was locked in a play-off battle with Rory McIlroy for the Masters title. Yet Rose has plummeted since then and his form took another battering at The Open. The 45-year-old was considerably short of his peak, finishing on +3, and he expressed his frustration at being unable to progress into the weekend.
Jordan Spieth's Nightmare Return
It proved a torrid comeback for the American, who claimed victory at this very event back in 2017. Already battling to make the cut, Spieth three-putted from a mere three feet out. That sealed his fate, wrapping up his tournament at +10 and bringing to an end his remarkable run of top-30 finishes every year since 2016.
Wyndham Clark Fights Back but Falls Short
Reigning U.S. Open champion Clark left himself with far too much ground to make up after carding double bogeys on both the second and third holes. Clark fought hard to drag himself back into contention, but rounds of 73-70 left him three over par for the tournament. At his worst, Clark climbed as high as seven over par after just eight holes of his second round. To his credit, the American managed to rescue some dignity with birdies on the 15th and 16th holes, before following up with an eagle on the 17th.
Matt Fitzpatrick Suffers First Missed Cut of 2026
Fitzpatrick has been amongst the finest golfers on the planet this year, yet even that stellar form couldn't prevent a surprising early departure. The Englishman turned up with three victories to his name in 2026 and was fresh from a tie for third at the Genesis Scottish Open. However, unlike his brother Alex, Fitzpatrick won't feature at the weekend after posting a two-day total of four-over to suffer his first missed cut of the campaign. He carded back-to-back rounds of 72, marking his first missed cut at a major since the 2024 PGA Championship and his first at The Open since 2018.
Viktor Hovland's Major Hopes Dashed
As the first Norwegian to win a PGA Tour event, Hovland would have been widely tipped to secure a top-20 finish, arriving at the tournament ranked 12th in the world. Instead, the 28-year-old endured a gruelling weekend. His hopes were effectively dashed before they had even taken shape, going five over par on day two and leaving himself with a mountain to climb. Standing on the 16th, he required eagles on his final two holes just to stay afloat, yet could only manage a birdie on the 17th, finishing four over par.
Other Notable Misses
Joaquin Niemann has notched up some impressive wins on the LIV Golf League circuit. Yet the Chilean continues to find the going tough when it comes to the sport's biggest stages. The 27-year-old followed up his tied-7th finish at the BMW Championships with a dismal score of +4 on English soil. Cameron Smith fell well below expectations with yet another deflating performance at a major championship. Smith was widely regarded as one of the finest golfers on the planet just a few years ago. Now, the 32-year-old carded +2 and missed the cut at Royal Birkdale. That comes hot on the heels of his forgettable showing at the US Open, where he again missed the cut after finishing on +6.
