The last time Collin Morikawa missed two cuts in a row, it was 2023. The American golfer failed to make the weekend at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and followed that up with another disappointing missed cut at the Wells Fargo Championship. However, he did recover from that slump to clinch the ZOZO Championship in October of the same year. That’s the kind of turnover that The Sentry 2025 winner is looking for.

Morikawa’s time in Europe has been nothing but disappointing. The two-time Major winner was headed for a good showing at the 2025 Scottish Open after a brilliant 2 under par first day. However, he failed to capitalise on the early advantage and carded 6 over par on the second to finish outside the cut line by five strokes. His luck, however, did not change at the Royal Portrush Golf Club.

Morikawa carded a disappointing 4 over par and 3 over par over the first two days and ended up missing the cut by a whopping five strokes yet again at The Open Championship. This was his first missed cut at a major since the 2023 The Open Championship that was held at the Royal Liverpool Golf Course. Morikawa encapsulated his disappointment in an Instagram post, where he detailed his plans to come back strong as well.

“Sometimes you feel like you’re out there alone but I know I’ve got the best team and family behind me. Just a little bump in the road the past couple months. Time to reset these 2 weeks off and get the mind/body where it needs to be. Let’s make a big push in the playoffs.” This was the caption to the post, which was accompanied by three images of him standing without anyone around him on the golf course. What Morikawa is going through is gut-wrenching!

While Morikawa didn’t reference The Open or Royal Portrush directly, his body language and choice of words pointed to deeper struggles. One underlying factor may be his recent instability with caddies. Over the last couple of years, Morikawa has gone through multiple caddie changes. This recurring shift in partnerships could very well be reflecting the uncertainty in Morikawa’s current game—a player trying to rediscover clarity both in strategy and execution. However, former pro golfer Rich Beem believes that Morikawa is working his way out and will soon be able to find his path.

Regardless, Morikawa does not point out any specifics related to The Open Championship or the Royal Portrush Golf Club. It will be tough, but a hopeful road back to form awaits the World No.6, who is likely to skip both the 3M Open in Minnesota and the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina. That means that Morikawa will play directly at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Tennessee, the first of the three playoff events on the PGA Tour. Morikawa is currently ranked 16th in the FedEx Cup playoffs list and is one of the several big names who have missed the cut at this year’s major.

Several big names miss the 2-over-par cut line

Morikawa is not the only former winner to have missed the cut line. 2022 champion Cameron Smith also failed to make it to the weekend after carding a disappointing 8 over par across the first two days. Local hero Padraig Harrington struggled as well, carding 9 over par, while the senior tour members like Stewart Cink and Darren Clarke also failed to hit the 2 over par line.

On the other side of the spectrum, there are a few surprises as well. Phil Mickelson made a major cut for the first time this season after managing to score exactly 2 over par across the first two days. Mickelson’s last made cut was the 2024 The Open Championship, and this will be his second made cut at a major in the last seven events. An unfortunate record to possess!

Do you think the likes of Morikawa and the others can bounce back from their tough outings at the Open Championship?