Hazeltine National Golf Club was expected to deliver high competitive headlines at the 2026 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. It delivered, but in the most brutal way possible. While South Korea’s Ina Yoon lit up the leaderboard with a stunning opening 63, the cut claimed some of the biggest names in women’s golf. The projected cut sat at plus one after 36 holes, and for five players who arrived in Chaska with serious credentials, Hazeltine showed no mercy.

Charley Hull

With a good 2026 season finally gaining momentum, Charley Hull arrived at Hazeltine looking poised for another strong week. However, it ended in a missed cut. Just three weeks earlier, the Englishwoman nearly pulled off one of the greatest comebacks. She fired a final round charge at the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera and finished as a runner-up. It became her fifth major runner-up finish this season. Overall, the narrative going to KPMG was irresistible.

However, Hull had a troubled start at Hazeltine. She signed for a plus-one opening round of 73, enough to keep her in contention, but it left no room for error. She had two consecutive bogeys on the par-4 first and second holes. She eventually made birdies on the par-5 11th and par-4 16th. But her game was still a little weak.

Round two started with a lot of hope, but it was more of the same. On the front nine, she carded a costly double bogey on the par-4 fifth hole. Her two birdies, on the par-5 third and par-5 seventh, gave her moments of promise.

On the back nine for round two, Hull made a birdie on the par-5 15th, but it was quickly followed by two consecutive bogeys on the 16th and the 17th. She ended the back nine with a 37 and a 73 overall. She finished round two at T72, just outside the cut line.

Minjee Lee

Minjee Lee is the most surprising one on the list. She arrived at Hazeltine as the defending champion. She produced one of the finest performances of her career at the PGA Frisco in 2025. She won the championship by three shots. As for 2026, her best result came in at a tie for third at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in February. In the US Women’s Open, a month earlier, she tied for 28th.

Round one started strong. She signed in for 71. It was tough, but she was close enough to stay in competition. However, round two is where the tournament slipped away.

Her front nine was uneven from the start of the round. She made bogeys on the 2nd, 5th, and 7th holes, undoing any early momentum she had. The back nine offered no recovery. She made bogeys on the 16th and the 18th. She finished 1 stroke below the cut line.

Aria Jutanugarn

Aria Jutanugarn is a former U.S. Women’s Open champion and one of the most decorated Thai players in LPGA history. She opened the week with 73. Round two needed to be clean. It was anything but that. She bogeyed 8th, 9th, 12th, and 13th holes to shoot 75 for the day. She missed the cut by 3 strokes.

Yuka Saso

Saso missed the cut by 5 strokes, and her exit is arguably the most shocking, as she is the two-time U.S. Women’s Open champion: 2021 and 2024. On Friday, her front nine was a struggle from the jump, as she made bogeys on the first and second holes. A double bogey on the par-3 eighth, where she carded a six, proved to be a decisive blow. The back nine was marginally better but never made a genuine recovery. She made another bogey on the 10th and further dropped a shot on the 13th.

Lindy Duncan

Lindy Duncan is one of the LPGA Tour’s most consistent and respected figures, and 2026 had genuine form, including a T-42 at the Meijer LPGA Classic the week prior. She came to Hazeltine ranked 30th on the LPGA priority list.

She had a tough first round as she consecutively made bogeys on the 10th, 12th, 13th, 15th, and 18th. She ended round one with 75. Her round two was a consecutive mix. She made three back-to-back bogeys on the third, fourth, and fifth but followed up quickly with an eagle on the seventh and two consecutive birdies on the eighth and ninth. Still, she finished round two at 72.

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