Jordan Spieth ponders on the 9th fairway during the second round of the 2024 Memorial Tournament. | Photo by Tracy Wilcox/PGA Tour via Getty Images
Many star players missed the cut at the Memorial Tournament, a troublesome sign with the U.S. Open around the corner.
Despite employing a 73-player field this year, the Memorial Tournament still had a 36-hole cut. Only the top 50 players and ties—or anyone within 10 shots of the lead—made the cut.
Fifty-two players finished at 4-over or better, meaning anyone who finished at 5-over or worse failed to make the weekend. That includes plenty of star players including Jordan Spieth and reigning U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark.
Both Spieth and Clark finished at 5-over.
Spieth, a three-time major champion, opened with a double-bogey but bounced back with a birdie at the par-4 2nd. But four more bogies followed, and a closing birdie at 18 was not enough for him to earn a third-round tee time.
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
Wyndham Clark during the second round of the 2024 Memorial Tournament.
Clark, meanwhile, shot an even-par 72 on Friday, despite making a double-bogey seven on the par-5 15th. But the damage was done on Thursday, when he shot a 5-over 77.
Other notables to miss the cut include Canadian Mackenzie Hughes, Patrick Cantlay, Matthieu Pavon of France, and 2012 U.S. Open champion Justin Rose, who opened the tournament with an 8-over 80 on Thursday.
But nobody fared worse than Rickie Fowler, who imploded with the worst round of the tournament on Friday: a 10-over 82.
Fowler carded a 9-under 45 on the front nine, a score that included three double bogies and three bogies. He then rebounded somewhat on the back nine after bogeying the 10th hole, making birdies on the 15th and 16th holes. But he then threw those par-breakers away with closing bogies at the 17th and 18th. His best finish came at the RBC Heritage, where he tied for 18th. Since then, Fowler has tied for 43rd, 63rd, and 37th.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
