Shinnecock Hills was up to its usual tricks at the 2026 U.S. Open. After two rounds, the course made it clear: if you can’t handle the wind and troubling greens, you’re not sticking around for the weekend. Wyndham Clark is leading after Round 2, but down the board, the cut landed at +4. That number was just too much for three of golf’s biggest stars.

Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Patrick Cantlay showed up at Shinnecock with some serious hopes, but by the time the weekend rolled around, none of them were left in the mix.

Bryson DeChambeau

DeChambeau opened with an even-par 70 in Round 1, highlighted by a 427-yard drive on the par-4 12th. In Round 2, he shot a 5-over 75, finishing with 145 on the board over all, and missed the cut by one stroke.

The frustrating part for DeChambeau is the contrast with his ‘other’ golf life. He won LIV Golf Singapore. He won LIV Golf South Africa. He finished third in Virginia and third in Korea. Then the majors arrived, and the form vanished: missed cuts at the Masters, the PGA Championship, and now Shinnecock. It’s the first time in his major championship career that he’s missed three straight cuts in the same season.

Jon Rahm

Rahm’s exit stung more because of how it started. He opened with a bogey-free 68 but then came a back-nine collapse on Friday. From holes 12 to 16, Rahm had carded 4 bogeys and 1 double bogey.

This result does not fit the season Rahm had put together. He won in Hong Kong and finished second five times: in Riyadh, Adelaide, South Africa, Andalucía, and the PGA Championship, where he finished three shots behind Aaron Rai. He tied for 38th at the Masters. By the time he reached Shinnecock, Rahm was one of the most consistent players in the field. The missed cut was not part of a trend. It stood out as the exception.

Patrick Cantlay

Cantlay just couldn’t get things going this week. He shot a 4-over 74 on Day 1, which put him behind right from the start. Even though he played a bit better with a 72 in Round 2, it wasn’t enough to make up the difference. He finished with a total of 146 and missed the cut by two shots. The result seems bit shocking, given the finishes Cantlay has had all season, T7 at the Valspar, T8 at the RBC Heritage, T10 at the Truist, T12 at the Masters, and T17 at the Memorial. Solid form translated to nothing at Shinnecock.

The U.S. Open doesn’t grade on a resume. DeChambeau came in hot on LIV and cold in majors. Rahm came in as steady as anyone in the sport. Cantlay came in steady. By Friday evening, all three were booking flights home, proof, once again, that Shinnecock Hills humbles everybody eventually.