Dustin Johnson headlines big names to miss cut at windy PGA Championship
2 Min Read
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – World No. 1 and reigning FedExCup champ Dustin Johnson has missed consecutive major cuts in the same year for the first time in his career after he failed to make the weekend at the PGA Championship.
Johnson backed up his 4-over 76 from round one at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course with a 74, leaving the Carolina local to miss out on weekend play by a single shot at six-over.
Gusty winds proved difficult for many players with the scoring average hitting 75.15 over the opening two rounds.
Teeing off on the 10th hole, Johnson’s second round started positively with an opening birdie but he dropped five shots in 11 holes during the middle of his day. A late reprieve appeared possible when he eagled his third to last hole but the 24-time PGA TOUR winner backed it up with another bogey.
Johnson wasn’t the only big name to struggle. Fellow major winners Justin Thomas, Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott also missed out by a shot as did multiple time TOUR winners Marc Leishman and Xander Schauffele.
Thomas produced a brilliant 37-foot birdie on the brutal par-3 17th setting up a birdie or bust final hole scenario. Despite a brilliant drive and approach to 16-feet his birdie putt burned the edge and his week was over.
Schauffele was 4 over on his final eight holes and five-time TOUR winner Leishman finished double bogey, bogey to earn the weekend off.
Former world No. 1 Jason Day thought he’d missed the cut after the morning wave when he posted in at 5 over only to see the high winds help his chase for a spot in the US Open at Torrey Pines alive.
Day entered the week at 65th in the world rankings, his lowest spot since 2010, needing to move inside the top 60 to earn a ticket to the US Open to be held at San Diego’s Torrey Pines – a venue where he won two of his 12 PGA Tour titles.
In what turned out to be a prophetic exchange, U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau reminded Day what could happen as the two crossed paths Friday. Day was packing up his bag as DeChambeau headed out to prepare for his afternoon tee time.
“Don’t do what I did. It was an expensive mistake,” DeChambeau joked to Day in reference to his mercy dash during the Wells Fargo Championship two weeks ago. The big-hitting bomber thought he had missed the cut and flew from North Carolina to Texas only to find out on arrival he was still alive, leaving him to fly back again.
Good thing the Australian listened.