Who missed the cut at The Players Championship?
At every golf tournament, there are winners and losers. Unfortunately, the losers are named halfway through the event when the 36-hole cut is made…
There was a gluttony of players going low on the sun-kissed stadium surface of TPC Sawgrass in the second round of The Players Championship.
Wyndham Clark held a four-shot lead when darkness halted play on Friday and the lack of daylight also prevented every group from finishing their rounds.
Overnight, a handful of players were left to sign their second-round scorecards and at the close of play, the Players Championship cut line was at one-under-par.
Several stars fell by the wayside in the 50th edition of what many golf fans see as the sport’s fifth major championship.
Let’s take you through some of the biggest names who will miss out on the weekend at The Players Championship, despite the second round not quite being complete:
ALSO: What are The Players Championship cut rules?
Jordan Spieth: +2
Jordan Spieth is one of the most unpredictable golfers on the planet. It is why he is so popular, but his large army of fans will not be watching him play in Ponte Vedra this weekend.
The three-time major champion carded two-over-par in round one and, although his 70 on day two was an improvement, the writing was on the wall for the American for the majority of Friday.
His impressive birdie on 18 was made redundant by the two bogeys and double bogey he made on the back nine. Spieth has now made two top 10s in six events in 2024.
ALSO: Jordan Spieth: We are being encouraged to meet with the PIF
Justin Thomas: +1
Justin Thomas wasn’t out of touch after the first round at the Stadium Course with a 71. He trailed the leaders by just six shots, but things got no better at the event he won in 2021.
The two-time PGA champion made four bogeys and just two birdies while playing alongside Scottie Scheffler and Rickie Fowler.
Thomas has made four top-12 finishes in six events in 2024, but this is also his second missed cut to go with missing the weekend at the Genesis Invitational.
Will Zalatoris: +4
Will Zalatoris has made a massively promising return to PGA Tour action this year after missing much of 2023 with an injury to his back.
The American finished tied for second at the Genesis Invitational and tied for fourth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, events which supposedly feature the best players on the circuit.
But the one-time tour winner didn’t catch fire at The 50th Players. Rounds of 73 and 75, which included a triple bogey on hole 5 in round two, saw to it that Zalatoris wouldn’t be competing at the weekend.
Justin Rose: +3
Former US Open champion Justin Rose was sitting pretty on two-under-par after round one at The Players. He even holed a bunker shot for birdie on the 1st hole which was the highlight of his week.
Things went downhill fast for the Englishman who struggled to a 77 on day two. This included four bogeys and a huge quadruple bogey on the island green of the 17th hole.
Ryan Fox: +1
On Friday, the 2024 Players Championship hole-in-one hero Ryan Fox threw away what appeared to be a nailed-on weekend appearance at Sawgrass.
Having raised the roof on hole 17 in the first round, the big hitter from New Zealand made five bogeys and a double-bogey to shoot four-over-par on Friday and miss the cut on the same score as Thomas.
Nick Dunlap: +3
Nick Dunlap was one of a host of debutants fielding media questions on Wednesday morning ahead of his first-ever start at The Players Championship.
He might’ve become the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since 1991 at the American Express, but Dunlap put any chance of playing in the final two rounds here into doubt with a 77 on day one.
Improvement followed with a 70 on Friday, but it certainly isn’t panic stations for the 20-year-old yet who has made three of five cuts since making PGA Tour history in January.
NOW READ: Wyndham blows away field in Players Championship second round
NOW READ: A Park to the Palace: The last 3 holes at TPC Sawgrass is another world entirely
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Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.
