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BOLINGBROOK, IL – AUGUST 10: Brooks Koepka watches other players on the green during the final round of LIV Golf Chicago on Sunday, August 10, 2025 at Bolingbrook Golf Club in Bolingbrook, IL Photo by Ben Hsu/Icon Sportswire GOLF: AUG 10 LIV Golf Chicago EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon224250810091
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BOLINGBROOK, IL – AUGUST 10: Brooks Koepka watches other players on the green during the final round of LIV Golf Chicago on Sunday, August 10, 2025 at Bolingbrook Golf Club in Bolingbrook, IL Photo by Ben Hsu/Icon Sportswire GOLF: AUG 10 LIV Golf Chicago EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon224250810091
TPC Scottsdale hasn’t been an easy place to play golf this week. Just ask Scottie Scheffler, who nearly missed a cut for the first time since August 2022. Despite the horrid start, the world #1 was able to recover and make the cutline. But a few other big names didn’t have the same fortune. We’re here to look at five of the most shocking exits from the 2026 WM Phoenix Open on Friday.
Brooks Koepka
It’s not like he doesn’t know the fairways of TPC Scottsdale well enough. In the five times he played the WM Phoenix Open before, Brooks Koepka had won the event twice and finished third once. Yet, the returning PGA Tour pro failed to deliver in his second appearance since 2022.
Koepka endured a horrible first round, plagued by bogeys. He could only fight back with one birdie to end the day with a 4-over par. Many blamed his putter for his poor run. But the ex-LIV Golf pro didn’t change his club, as the same putter helped him perform better on Friday.
Brooks Koepka missed cut in Phoenix. Guaranteed, turn on Golf Channel tomorrow & they’ll say “Brooks is struggling cuz he wasn’t get real competition on LIV.” Meanwhile, they’ll ignore the fact that Patrick Reed has been red hot on the DP Tour after competing against the same… pic.twitter.com/uHYo3FrJPA
— Chris McKee (@mrmckee) February 6, 2026
Despite a few hiccups, Koepka still managed a round of 2-under 69. Unfortunately, that was only enough for him to regain some confidence. He was still too far away from the projected 1-under-par cutline. And for the first time in six appearances, he missed the cut in the WM Phoenix Open.
Marco Penge
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Once Marco Penge had proven himself on the DP World Tour, he had his eyes set on the United States. Rejecting any advances from LIV Golf, he wanted to dominate the PGA Tour after receiving his membership for the 2026 season. Unfortunately, things haven’t gone as he had planned so far. Penge started the season with a missed cut in the Farmers Insurance Open, and then at the Phoenix Open, he shot 4 over par in 36 holes, missing the 1-under-par cut line.
Tony Finau
That can’t be Tony Finau who’s playing at TPC Scottsdale, right? Granted, he hasn’t had the best of luck on the Arizona course. Finau has only made three cuts in the eight appearances he has made in the WM Phoenix Open so far. But then again, there have been times when he also grabbed the runner-up finish, like in 2020.
This time around, Finau’s inconsistent run of performances pushed him out of the event for the sixth time in his career. His journey in the 2026 WM Phoenix Open came to a bitter end after he missed the cut line by carding 3-over-par in 36 holes.
Billy Horschel
Out-of-form star Billy Horschel has taken every opportunity thrown his way in 2026 to find his rhythm. He has played in every PGA Tour event so far, with the WM Phoenix Open being his fourth of the season. Yet, neither of them has produced a result he would have been satisfied with.
A 74th-place finish in Hawaii playing the Sony Open, a T27th in the American Express, followed by a missed cut in the Farmers Insurance Open. Such has been the form of the 39-year-old. And with a 3-over par at TPC Scottsdale, he missed a second consecutive cut this week.
Horschel will get another opportunity to prove himself next week. He and Finau have received a sponsor exemption for the 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Jordan Spieth
Until the 15th hole on Friday, it really looked like Jordan Spieth would make the projected cutline for the 2026 WM Phoenix Open. He was sitting at even par with three holes to play. But his strength turned into his downfall as his putter failed him during a crucial moment on the 16th hole. And things only went downhill from that point on.
After an excellent drive on the fairway, Spieth was sitting comfortably 42 feet away from the cup. Instead of playing it safe, he tried to get the advantage early. That proved to be a huge mistake, as he overshot his putt as it rolled over 6 feet past the hole. Spieth needed two more strokes to complete the par-3 hole with a bogey.
He went from even par on the 15th to 1-over on the 16th and couldn’t hold his nerve after that. The three-time major winner continued his array of errors on the 17th hole as he shot a double bogey to go +3. That was the end of the story for Spieth at the 2026 WM Phoenix Open.
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