It was the second day of the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic. Everyone looked on in wonder when Akshay Bhatia’s drive on par-5, 17th, caused his ball to fall into a metal drain cap. Their look turned to surprise as he ended up making par on a flawless second day’s play at the Detroit Golf Club. However, not every athlete in the field had the same fortune as the 22-year-old.

While the likes of Bhatia and Aaron Rai topped the scoreboard, a total of 81 golfers failed to qualify for Moving Day. The athletes didn’t find success in even registering a score of 4-under, as per the cutline, causing them to head home early for the weekend. And surprisingly, there were some well-known names in the list of players who missed the cut!

Golfers who failed to qualify for the Moving Day at the Rocket Mortgage Classic

1. Tom Kim: It appears the golfer failed to replicate the showmanship he carded at the final signature event. The South Korean pro had finished at the runner-up position last week but missed the cut just by a single stroke at the Detroit Golf Club to current world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. The golfer dished out a total of nine birdies over the two days. But a total of six bogeys caused the athlete to register scores of 73-68 at 3-under par after two rounds. Not the best of performances, one can say!

2. Robert MacIntyre: It might be the absence of his special bagman, his Dad, at the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic that caused him to fall short. Or it might even be something else entirely. Regardless of the reason, one thing is for sure: the Canadian pro is taking the early flight home, owing to his score of 1-under after Friday’s play. MacIntyre put up figures of 71-72 over the two rounds, with six birdies and five bogeys, making him fall behind the cutline by two strokes.

3. Webb Simpson: It was the par-3, 15th on Friday. The 37-year-old was at T103 with an even score, trying to go one under with a birdie at the hole. But there’s a catch. The spheroid was 31 feet away from the hole. The athlete, however, surprised everyone with his new Odyssey Ai-One “Cruiser” Jailbird broomstick putter that he started using at the Wells Fargo Championship. The result? A 31-foot birdie putt. But even that wasn’t enough to help him stay.

Including the putt at 15th, the golfer had dished out a total of seven birdies over the two rounds at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. But his scores were affected negatively by the five bogeys that Simpson carded over the two days. As a result, he could only put up figures of 2-under with scores 71-71, thereby causing him to fall short of the cutline by one stroke.

4. Stephan Jaeger: The win at the Texas Children’s Houston Open seems so long ago. One can’t help but think the same as the 35-year-old misses his fifth cut in 2024, the last of which came at the Memorial Tournament Presented by Workday. This time around, the German pro’s failure to make the cut came from his score of 75-70 at 1-over par overall after Friday. He dished out six bogeys and seven birdies, not to mention the double bogey at the par-4, 13th hole, causing him to go home early.

5. Miles Russell: He became the ninth youngest player to tee it up in a PGA Tour event on Thursday. Unfortunately, his happiness was short-lived as he failed to qualify for the Moving Day after carding a 74-70 at an even par score overall following the Friday round. The amateur golfer was able to put up the same with the help of six birdies, along with four bogeys and a double bogey at the par-4, 6th.

Even so, the young amateur wasn’t too disappointed with the experience at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. “It was a good week,” said Russell before adding, “Just the golf didn’t go the way I wanted it to. Just tried to stay focused on the golf, but (No.) 18 there, just kind of walked up a little slower and really enjoyed it.” No worries, for he will surely try to make up for the missed cut at the U.S. Junior Amateur at Oakland Hills, where he is slated to play next month.

These are but some of the surprising entries that failed to qualify for the moving day at the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic. But the fans need not be concerned, for 75 more golfers are waiting to clinch the title of champion and trophy at the Detroit Golf Club. Surely an exciting weekend is in store!