A historically low cut line led to early exits for some of golf’s biggest names at the PGA Championship on Friday.
Jon Rahm’s run of 18 straight made cuts in majors ended when he posted a one-over 72 during the second round at soggy Valhalla on Friday that left him at even par, one shot outside the projected cutline of one-under.
That will be the lowest-ever at the PGA and just the third time in major championship history the cut was in red figures.
Rahm hadn’t missed a weekend at a major since the 2019 PGA. In the interim, he’s captured a pair of of them – the 2021 U.S. Open and the 2023 Masters – while stamping himself as one of the best players in the world.
But his form has dropped off a cliff since he made a $500million switch to LIV Golf in December. He finished a distant 45th at Augusta National, when he failed to break par in any round.
Jon Rahm’s run of 18 straight made cuts in majors ended at the PGA Championship on Friday
Phil Mickelson couldn’t improve on his poor first round and will be leaving Kentucky, too
Ludvig Aberg, who was briefly tied with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler on Sunday at the Masters before Scheffler pulled away, wasn’t quite as sharp after trading Georgia pines for Kentucky Bluegrass.
Aberg was even through two rounds, his chance to play at the weekend likely undone by a double-bogey at the 12th.
Reigning U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark (four-over) and two-time PGA winner Phil Mickelson (four-over) also left Valhalla early.
So did Tiger Woods, Matt Fitzpatrick, Sepp Straka, Adam Scott, and Sam Burns.
Woods posted his 11th consecutive round of par or worse in a major championship with a six-over 77 on Friday.
Michael Block, who put together a captivating underdog story by finishing 15th last year at Oak Hill, couldn´t muster the same magic this time around.
Reigning U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark finished four-over after two poor rounds
Tiger Woods posted his 11th consecutive round of par or worse in a major championship
A two-over 73 pushed him to seven-over for the tournament and a trip back home to Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club, where he is the head pro.
A few of the 21 club pros in the field will likely stick around.
Jeremy Wells (two-under) and Braden Shattuck (one-under) are locked in and Kyle Mendoza (even-par) has a shot with three holes to play early Saturday morning after the second round was suspended by darkness.
Shattuck sweated out the final holes. He drained a 35-footer for birdie on No. 8 (his 17th of the day) then holed a nervy par putt on No. 9 to get to 1 under.
It could be a somewhat long night for Shattuck and everyone else at one-under.
There’s a slim chance the cut could get to two-under based on the results when players return to the course early Saturday to finish their second rounds.
