10 surprising players who missed the U.S. Open cut at Pinehurst No. 2

We are officially at the halfway point of the 124th U.S. Open, and so far, the third major of the year has delivered.

Ludvig Aberg highlights the top of the leaderboard thanks to a second-round 69, while stars such as Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Cantlay remain close in chase. It’s setting up for one heck of a weekend in the Carolina Sand Hills.

For some, though, their week at Pinehurst No. 2 is already over. As the final golfers finished their rounds Friday evening, the cut was officially made at five over.

Here are 10 surprising golfers who missed the cut and won’t be around this weekend.

Viktor Hovland

What he shot: 78-68 (+6)

Why it’s surprising: Hovland has been in the wilderness for much of 2024, but at last month’s PGA Championship, he seemed to have figured it out. After getting back together with swing coach Joe Mayo, the Norwegian looked like the Hovland of old as he finished solo third. On Thursday at Pinehurst No. 2, though, he regressed once again as he shot an eight-over 78. To Hovland’s credit, he bounced back in Round 2 with a two-under 68, but with the cutline coming at five over, he comes up just short of the weekend.

Nick Dunlap

What he shot: 73-73 (+6)

Why it’s surprising: It’s not necessarily surprising to see a first-year pro miss the cut at the U.S. Open, but the fashion in which Dunlap MC’d makes this one noteworthy. The 20-year-old arrived at his final hole of the day, the par-3 9th, even par for the round and three over for the championship. It took him six strokes to play the devilish little par-3, and the triple-bogey finish ensured him of a missed cut. Brutal.

Max Homa

What he shot: 71-75 (+6)

Why it’s surprising: The world No. 10 has been in solid form this season with six top 20s, and with his T3 showing at the Masters it seemed like he’d finally figured out how to perform at the majors. But a missed cut at Pinehurst No. 2 did him no favors in putting that narrative to rest. The U.S. Open continues to give Homa fits, with just one made cut in six appearances in golf’s toughest test.

Tiger Woods

What he shot: 74-73 (+7)

Why it’s surprising: Tiger began the second round sitting directly on the cutline and he got out to a fast start with a birdie at the difficult par-4 4th, but the rest of the day would turn into a grind. The three-time U.S. Open champ couldn’t find a birdie the rest of the day and posted a gritty 73 to miss the cut by two shots. It’ll go down as another disappointing week for Tiger post-car accident.

Will Zalatoris

What he shot: 75-73 (+8)

Why it’s surprising: Zalatoris has developed a reputation as a player who elevates his game during the major championships, but that wasn’t the case this week. Zalatoris managed just two birdies over 36 holes as he never quite got things going at Pinehurst No. 2. It marks just his third missed cut in 12 major starts.

Jason Day

What he shot: 71-77 (+8)

Why it’s surprising: Day was comfortably inside the cutline as he made the turn Friday afternoon at two over, but his final nine holes were the stuff of nightmares. The Aussie shot 41 over his final nine holes — including a five-over stretch over his last five — to drop to eight over and sink any hopes he had of playing the weekend. This marks Day’s first missed cut of the 2024 major season.

Rickie Fowler

What he shot: 71-77 (+8)

Why it’s surprising: Fowler got off to a nice start on Thursday as he posted one over and beat the field scoring average by over two shots, but on Friday it all came crashing down. The 35-year-old didn’t card a single birdie in Round 2 as he plummeted down the leaderboard and missed the cut by three shots.

Dustin Johnson

What he shot: 74-75 (+9)

Why it’s surprising: DJ has been in solid form on the LIV circuit this season with three top 10s — including a victory in Las Vegas — but that success hasn’t translated over to the majors in 2024. The 2016 U.S. Open champ has now missed the cut in two of three majors in 2024, with a T43 at the PGA being his high-water mark. This is looking to be another major season to forget for DJ.

Justin Thomas

What he shot: 77-74 (+11)

Why it’s surprising: Unfortunately, a major weekend without JT is becoming more of a rule than an exception. Since the beginning of 2023, the two-time PGA champion has missed five cuts in seven major starts as he continues to battle his swing. This week at the U.S. Open was more of the same as he missed the cut by six shots.

Phil Mickelson

What he shot: 79-76 (+15)

Why it’s surprising: Lefty might be 53 years old, but it’ll always be surprising to see him miss the weekend at a major. He got off to a horrendous start in Round 1 with six bogeys over his first eight holes, and he never quite recovered. This marks Mickelson’s third-straight missed cut at the U.S. Open as the career grand slam continues to elude him.

Zephyr Melton

Golf.com Editor

Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Prior to joining the team at GOLF, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all things instruction and covers amateur and women’s golf. He can be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.