We knew Oakmont would be brutal, but Friday showed just how quickly it can take down even the best players in the world.
Despite being one of the pre-tournament favors, Bryson DeChambeau shot a second-round 77 and missed the U.S. Open cut by three strokes.
Bryson might have been the biggest name to miss the weekend, but he wasn’t the only one to struggle.
Patrick Cantlay looked like he might scrape through after a second-round 72, but his opening 76 left too much ground to cover. Min Woo Lee improved on Friday but couldn’t recover from an opening 77. Nico Echavarria, one of the best putters on tour this season, couldn’t make up for the ball striking struggles that left him at +13.
Sepp Straka, who many saw as a sleeper pick this week, bowed out after rounds of 78 and 73. Two straight days of slight mistakes at Oakmont are more than enough to send players home.
These weren’t the only big names sent packing. Friday’s cutline landed at +7, and a host of major champions, Ryder Cuppers, and recent PGA Tour winners were left on the wrong side of it.
❌ Big Names Who Missed the Cut
- Wyndham Clark (+8)
- Ludvig Åberg (+8)
- Patrick Cantlay (+8)
- Lucas Glover (+8)
- Phil Mickelson (+8)
- Cameron Smith (+8)
- Min Woo Lee (+9)
- Tommy Fleetwood (+9)
- Bryson DeChambeau (+10)
- Dustin Johnson (+10)
- Gary Woodland (+10)
- Sepp Straka (+11)
- Justin Thomas (+12)
- Nico Echavarria (+13)
- Justin Rose (+14)
Final thoughts
Earlier this week, we asked AI to pick five dark horses to win the U.S. Open. Only one, Keegan Bradley (+3) made the cut. At Oakmont, what looks good on paper doesn’t always hold up under pressure, and that’s what will make this weekend fun to watch.
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