“If they get any firmer and faster, the greens, I mean, they’d be borderline,” said a worried Wyndham Clark ahead of the start of the 2024 U.S. Open. The athlete was sure that he would have a tough time defending his title at the iconic course. Even so, he was able to place himself at T51, unlike the 82 golfers who missed the cut.

The cutline is projected to be at +5, all thanks to the tough greens that Pinehurst No. 2 boasts. For some, this meant that their week at the season’s third major was already over. One can’t help but wonder about the professionals, PGA Tour and LIV Golf alike, who had to go home early because of the same.

Top players who failed to qualify for the Moving Day at the U.S. Open

1. Tiger Woods: 2 strokes. That is the difference by which the 15-time major champ failed to make the cut. As a result, the golfer was forced to go home early this time around as well, owing to his score of 7-over par 147 that came from figures of 74-73 over the two days. He carded a total of four bogeys and one birdie, the latter which would have been 2 had it not been for the bad luck on the 15th. “Yeah, 15 hurt,” admitted Woods after the round. “If I make that putt, it flips the momentum, and I’m looking pretty good on the last three holes. Instead, I’m on the wrong side of the cut line and having to do something good on the last three holes.” Well, the 82-time PGA Tour champ sure did fail miserably.

2. Viktor Hovland: None would have guessed the current World No. 5 missing the cut, especially after seeing his second round at the U.S. Open. The Norwegian had carded six birdies alongside two bogeys and a double bogey, thereby registering a score of 2-under 70. But he failed to reach the required mark when it was coupled with his Thursday numbers. The golfer failed to move to the weekend by just 1 stroke, unfortunately.

3. Rickie Fowler: A sub-par performance yet again by the 6-time PGA Tour champ resulted in him making the list of people who wouldn’t be able to tee it up for Moving Day. The golfer made a total of four birdies in his U.S. Open stint of 71-77, all of which came on Thursday. He was unable to card a single birdie during the second day but could only manage seven bogeys during the same, totaling his count to a whopping 12 bogeys over the two rounds. It appears Friday truly was an unlucky day for Fowler.

4: Dustin Johnson: The 2-time major winner would have wanted to replicate his 2016 success at the U.S. Open. However, a score of 9-over 149 pushed him out of the projected cutline by four strokes, giving him much less of a chance at the title. The LIV Golf Pro could only dish out a total of five birdies while carding 11 bogeys, not to mention a triple bogey 6 at the par-3 9th. This, interestingly, makes it his third missed cut in his last four championships.

5: Max Homa: The world No. 10 failed to continue his run at claiming his first-ever major title once again at Pinehurst No. 2. The athlete scored a total of nine bogeys and three birdies to register figures of 71-75 over the two rounds of play. He then subsequently missed the cut by just one stroke, thereby missing his chance to rake in a cut of the prize purse as well.

These are some of the names that were forced to go home early due to their sub-par performance. But worry not, for there is still the rest of the field waiting to claim the trophy for themselves. Who do you think would win the 2024 U.S. Open?