With Ryder Cup stars Jon Rahm and Shane Lowry in the field, the Open de España promised drama. But from the start, several big names were noticeably absent from contention. Even Rahm and Lowry, who shone at Bethpage Black, struggled early, showing that the Spanish Open can humble anyone.

After two rounds, English golfer Marco Penge leads at 9 under par, with Joel Girrbach, Aaron Cockerill, and Jeff Winther just behind at 8 under. Meanwhile, some of the top names expected to dominate have already fallen behind, proving that reputations don’t guarantee success.

Golfers like Dale Whitnell and Yannik Paul completed Round 2 with an impressive 67 to make it to the next two rounds. However, there are a few who didn’t make the cut and will have to say goodbye to the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid. While some names were predicted, there remain surprises that stand out. Here are three players who missed the cut at the Spanish Open 2025.

Ryder Cup star Shane Lowry fails to impress

Shane Lowry, the 2019 Open de España champion, arrived in Madrid with hopes of rekindling past glory. The Irishman was a fan favorite because of his performance at the Ryder Cup. Just a couple of weeks before, he had scored an impressive 2 points at Bethpage Black to help Team Europe clinch the title. Lowry would have hoped to finish somewhere high on the leaderboard. But things didn’t go as planned.

The 3-time PGA Tour winner never had it going for him from the very beginning. He had two bogeys on holes 1 and 2, and then added 4 more on holes 10, 13, 16, and 18. With 2 birdies in the mix, the Irishman finished Round 1 at 4 above par. He struggled to recover from a poor opening round. Despite showing flashes of his trademark touch on day two, the deficit proved too large to overcome. After scoring 3 under par in Round 2, he finished at 1 above par.

Ángel Hidalgo’s home hope falters

Spain’s own Ángel Hidalgo was returning to the Spanish Open to defend the title. The hometown hero tied for the top spot with Jon Rahm in the previous edition. He had then defeated him in the faceoff on hole 2. The Spaniard, on home soil, was supposed to be familiar with the course, but he never found the right rhythm this year and fell short of the cut mark. This was despite early promise.

Unlike Shane Lowry, who was struggling from the beginning, Hidalgo had a good start. He scored birdies on holes 7 and 18, and a bogey on 15. This ended his first round with a 1 below par score. But on day 2, he lost his way, especially on the 11th hole. His tee shot landed beneath a tree, and he took 2 additional strokes just to get it to the green. In the end, he completed the hole in 5 strokes. On a par 3 hole, this resulted in a double bogey. With two additional bogeys, he finished the second round 4 above par, taking the overall score to 3 above par.

Richard Sterne unable to continue his form

South Africa’s Richard Sterne, a 6-time DP World Tour winner, has a reputation for performing even on tricky courses. In the weather-affected Alfred Dunhill Links Championship last week, Sterne ended tied 3 on the leaderboard with John Parry. In fact, he was leading right there with Robert MacIntyre after the first two days. Despite a good showing under extreme conditions, he failed to reach the last two rounds of the Open de España 2025.

Sterne ended Round 1 with 1 above par. He made 3 birdies on holes 7, 14, and 15. And he made 4 bogeys on holes 3, 6, 11, and 18. Like Hidalgo, Sterne got stuck in Round 2, where he finished with 3 above par. With only golfers with par scores making the cut line, this ended his Spanish Open 2025 journey after Round 2.

Shane, Hidalgo, and Sterne bowing out early from the 2025 Spanish Open has surprised many golf fans. Meanwhile, fellow Ryder Cup star and hometown favorite Jon Rahm sits tied for 18 at 4 under after two rounds. Even with these big names missing, plenty of popular players remain, setting up an exciting finish.