With a $6 million price purse and crucial FedEx Cup points to carve space for next year’s PGA Tour status, the Sanderson Farms Championship is an integral stop for many. And it is an easy scoring event too, with almost all top-ranked players outside the course, cooling off from the heat after a contentious season that ended with a successful Ryder Cup event. Yet, by Friday evening, the leaderboard told a story that was different from what many anticipated. With the cut line set at 4-under, several notable players failed to make the mark—three of them are listed below.

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1. Lanto Griffin

Just a month ago, this 37-year-old American made headlines with his stellar third-place finish at the Procore Championship. Competing alongside Scottie Scheffler and Ben Griffin, Lanto, with surprising ease, shot an impressive round of 65-70-71-65 for a 17-under total. This result elevated him from 142nd to 100th in the FedEx Cup standings.

So when he entered the Country Club of Jackson, of course, the eyes were on him. Still, he failed to deliver.

His week started promisingly enough. Griffin’s opening-round 69 put him in a comfortable position heading into Friday, but a rough 74 in the second round sealed his exit at 1-under, three shots shy of safety. In his defense, it was not for lack of effort. Griffin rolled in a 20-footer for birdie on the 18th during the first round, and people thought his Procore Championship persona was back. But that was it.

This week should have been an important stop in his 2025 season, as the earlier part of it was not too golden anyway. He missed twelve cuts this year, with a constant struggle to maintain consistent form, owing to his physical setbacks recently. Throughout this season, he has been fighting to secure his tour status, and this setback at Mississippi will prove more consequential than he would have wanted. His other top-10 finish took place at the Farmers Insurance Open (T9), very early on in January.

2. Min Woo Lee

Min Woo Lee‘s name on the wrong side of the cut list is arguably the most surprising. For the past few weeks, multiple headlines have been about his breakthrough. The 27-year-old Australian, the younger brother of major winner Minjee Lee, has been one of this year’s rising stars.

His much-awaited breakthrough came at the Texas Children’s Houston Open in March. And what a victory it was! He detoured Scheffler and Gary Woodland to claim his first PGA Tour victory. That week, he fired rounds of 66-64-63-67 and looked every bit like a player entering his prime.

Since then, his confidence in the course and marketability has exploded. He not only delivered consistent top-20 finishes across big events like the Cognizant Classic (T11) and WM Phoenix Open (T12), but also made waves in the TGL. He set a new record with a 192 mph ball speed while representing the Bay team. His recent triumph was at the FedEx Open de France with a T5 finish.

But his steps faltered as none of these swaggers could translate into a decent performance at Sanderson. His rounds of 70 and 73 left him at 1-under, mirroring Lanto Griffin’s total. After years in the shadows of his sister, this year felt like he could finally brag about his accolades in the Lee household. But his cut at Mississippi will raise many eyebrows.

3. Nicolai Hojgaard

Another golfer trying to carve out a name amidst the overarching wings of his sibling. With a strong European stretch and his reputation as a 2023 Ryder Cup member, Nicolai Hojgaard is not a name one would exclude when talking about winners. His 2025 year proves that.

He had several impressive moments, such as a runner-up finish at Torrey Pines, an eighth-place finish at the Mexico Open, and even a top-15 at the Open Championship. Yet, much like Griffin, his consistency continues to elude him.

This week, his 71-72 finish for 1-under was steady, but he could not threaten with it. And this has been a familiar pattern. Hojgaard has been close, and in some cases, very close, several times this year.

A top-five finish at the British Masters (T2) in August is an example of that. But the run this year has not come without much squander, with several missed cuts in marquee events across the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. The Master Tournament, THE PLAYERS Championship, and the BMW PGA Championship are a few such examples. This was the major reason for Luke Donald to snub him at this year’s Ryder Cup and go with twin Rasmus.

A win, or at least a decent performance at Sanderson Farms, would have proved many of his critics wrong. But alas, he will have to wait a bit more for a comeback.

The Sanderson Farms Championship, as the second of seven FedEx Cup Fall tournaments, was an early chance for these players to grab critical points and breathing room. A win would have offered 500 points and a two-year exemption. A missed cut offers nothing but pressure.

Moreover, with the PGA Tour’s revamped structure limiting full status to the top 100 players, fall events like these have become lifelines for those on the fringes. Every cut made or missed can shift careers.