The 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic has proven that even the greats have bad days. There have been many times when the fan-favorite golfer didn’t make the cut. This is the best and worst part of the sport. You could be cheering for your golf idol to hit an ace, only to be disheartened to see them hit the road.

The tournament is taking place at the Detroit Golf Club in Michigan, and it certainly has fans on their toes. The event has seen many unexpected turns this week, with the likes of Taylor Moore and Rickie Fowler towards the top of the leaderboard, while some other big names like Justin Thomas and Tony Finau failed to make it going into the weekend.

Justin Thomas and other big names suffer a brutal cut

With round 2 over on Friday, there were some big names that did not make the cut. While disheartening to the fans, some of the names were shockers. The list goes as follows:

Justin Thomas

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No one expected the World No. 17 to have such a bad performance. After shooting 81 at the 2023 US Open, which was two weeks ago, fans were expecting more. His performance has been disappointing overall for fans this season. This was his third missed cut in a total of four recent starts. He also ranked dead last in Strokes Gained Around the Green.

Although many hoped that he would pull through this week, that wasn’t the case. His 3-under-par 69 in round 2 was unfortunately not enough to keep him within the cutline after his devastating round of 76 on Thursday.

Hideki Matsuyama

Starting out with a 3-over 75 on Thursday, he made somewhat of a comeback with a 68 on Friday. But, sadly, it wasn’t enough to make the cut. The greens saw him struggling on both days, eventually leading to his early exit from the event. After ending in 32nd place at the 2023 US Open, this was not the play fans were hoping to see.

Brandt Snedeker

He returned after eight months out of the game due to a rare sternum injury. This marked his second missed cut. Off the tee, he found only six fairways, and that was reflected in his final scores of 73 and 72 in the two rounds. Fans who were expecting this to be his comeback were left disappointed. This was reminiscent of 2021 and 2022, when he didn’t make the cut for the Player’s Championship.

Tom Kim

Kim didn’t start off too well this week, shooting 1-over 73, and could not make it up on Friday. The first round saw him struggle, and round 2, when he carded 69, was not enough for him to play the weekend. Furthermore, this was his fifth missed cut in the 21 events he participated in this season. Kim additionally failed to make the cut at the PGA Championship this year in May.

Tony Finau

The defending champion didn’t make a mark in this year’s tournament. 2022 was a great year for the former champ, winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic along with the 3M Open and Cadence Bank Houston Open. Unfortunately, shooting 72-71, he joined the list of the four past champions who missed the cut to defend their titles.

Webb Simpson

With a start of three birdies and three bogeys and an ending of 72, Simpson ended the first round at par. He shot 2-under on Friday to end the round at 70, but still missed the cutline by 2 strokes. This was his eighth cut in 15 starts this season, and as he struggles on the course, the 37-year-old is also running out of time to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Brian Stuard

Many Eyes were on the Michigan native to make his hometown proud this week. Unfortunately, this was his 10th straight missed cut in a row after rounds of 74 and 76. In 2019, Stuard finished T5 on the same course, the Detroit Golf Club. However, this year things were very different, as he failed to make the cut yet again, just like in 2021 and 2022.

PGA Tour pros who currently sit atop the leaderboard at the event

Two Taylors (Moore and Pendrith) sit atop the leaderboard at 13 under. Just a stroke behind them are Rickie Fowler and Ludvig Aberg. Adam Schenk, Justin Lower, and Peter Kuest, along with Collin Morikawa, are also close behind at -11. Round 2 saw some really great leaps by players. Andrew Landry jumped 74 spots on the leaderboard with a record-setting score of -9.

What are your thoughts on the event so far? What did you think about the players who didn’t make the cut? Let us know in the comments below.

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