The 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club is set to challenge an elite roster of golfers. While Rory McIlroy recently completed his Grand Slam and Scottie Scheffler is on a winning streak after the PGA Championship, the real attraction is Oakmont itself. With greens reaching speeds of 15, the course promises a tough test. However, many golfers faced brutal challenges just to qualify. We saw a 17-year-old high school junior and a dentist make the field, but several top players saw their dreams dashed before the tournament began.

Here are five notable names missing from the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club:

Sergio Garcia

Surprised? Disappointed? Regardless of how you feel about the situation, Sergio Garcia will indeed miss out on his first U.S. Open start in 25 years for one reason: he failed to qualify. After dusting off the poor PGA Championship performance, the Spaniard decided to showcase his skills at the US Open qualifying at Bent Tree. It didn’t go his way.

Sergio Garcia’s qualifier for the US Open began well with a 6-under 65. However, it ended in disappointment. He three-putted on the final hole, missing an automatic spot and a playoff by just a stroke. This finish in the Dallas qualifier on May 19 jeopardized his streak of 25 consecutive US Open appearances. Following it, Garcia shared his feelings on social media, saying he wouldn’t be at Oakmont unless “a little miracle happens.” He referred to the hope of the USGA granting him a discretionary exemption, which has not yet come through.

Billy Horschel

For the 8-time PGA Tour winner, Billy Horschel, the trouble comes because of an injury! Billy Horschel is facing a big injury setback. He had expected to have hip replacement surgery in May, but that didn’t happen, as per his latest announcement. Instead, he underwent a successful surgery, though he hasn’t said when he will return to golf. In a recent social media update, he mentioned he is excited to get back to playing and said, “I am excited to have golf clubs back in my hands and seeing you in the next couple of weeks.” Given a lack of clarity, he is likely to return in “late summer or fall.”

Unfortunately, that means he will miss all the 2025 majors, marking the first time he has missed his national championship since 2018. Horschel will miss his second U.S. Open since he started playing in 2013, where he achieved his best finish with a T4 at Merion. This also means he will likely miss his chance to debut in the Ryder Cup. What a bummer.

Rickie Fowler

Yes, one of the fan favorites will be missing from the Oakmont Country Club field. The reason? Well, there are quite a few. Rickie Fowler performed well in his attempt to qualify for this year’s US Open, shooting rounds of 70 and 69 in Columbus. However, he lost in a playoff for the sixth and final qualifying spot and again in a playoff for the alternate spots, which went to Chase Johnson and Eric Cole. This marks his second missed major of the season, as he also missed the Masters.

Fowler has struggled in recent years, missing his third US Open in the last five years. However, he has a strong history at the tournament, finishing T2 at Pinehurst in 2014, T5 at Erin Hills in 2017, and T5 at Los Angeles CC in 2023, where he led after 54 holes. But there’s some good news. Thanks to his T7 finish at the Memorial Tournament, Fowler has secured a spot in this year’s Open Championship. This allows him to compete in two majors this year after also playing in the PGA Championship.

Max Homa

Yes, another fan favorite. Max Homa faced a tough challenge in his qualifier for the U.S. Open. He needed to two-putt for birdie from 25 feet on his final hole to secure a spot at Oakmont. Instead, he three-putted, which led to him losing a playoff to Cameron Young in Columbus. He then lost another playoff that would have made him an alternate. This marks Homa’s first missed major in six years, ending a streak of 21 consecutive major appearances.

Homa’s 2025 season has been a struggle, as he has yet to achieve a top-10 finish. Earlier this year, he finished T60 at the PGA Championship and T12 at the Masters. His problems have multiple origins, and his recent difficulties have drawn attention. He currently ranks 90th in the world after competing in last year’s U.S. Open as the World No. 10. In his 5 U.S. Open appearances, Homa missed the cut in four of them. The six-time PGA Tour winner also had a chance to secure a spot by winning the RBC Canadian Open, but he missed the cut there.

Will Zalatoris

Will Zalatoris faces another devastating setback as he deals with injuries. He will miss the final two majors of the season after undergoing back surgery due to re-herniated discs. In a health update he shared in May, he explained, “Hey everyone, sharing a health update. This spring, I started to feel some instability in my back that progressively got worse. Following the PGA Championship, an MRI showed that I had re-herniated two discs.”

The 28-year-old finished as the runner-up in the 2022 U.S. Open, coming in behind Matt Fitzpatrick. Unfortunately, he will sit out this year’s Open due to his second back surgery. Zalatoris will miss the Open Championship next month but hopes to return to the PGA Tour in the fall.