Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports
Two days of play have completed at Oak Hill Country Club and the damage is done. These are the most surprising names to miss the cut at the PGA Championship.
After two rounds of play, the cut has been made at Oak Hill Country Club for the 105th PGA Championship. The course played tough, putting the cutline at 5-over par. Some big names made the cut, but many highly-rated players are heading home after two rounds.
We knew Oak Hill would be a challenge, but some of the guys who missed the cut are shocking. These guys have played extremely well the last few weeks, but it goes to show that when you don’t keep it in the clean stuff at Oak Hill, it will cause havoc.
Let’s look at the big names that are packing up and won’t be collecting a paycheck on Sunday.
Rickie Fowler
Coming into the week, Rickie Fowler was one of the dark horse picks. He returned to the top 50 in the world, and his game looked strong. However, Oak Hill had other plans for him. He shot back-to-back 73s to finish +6 and right below the cutline. It wasn’t like he made a ton of bogeys — he couldn’t get his putts to fall.
On Friday, he made 13 pars, four bogeys and one birdie. Fowler had late-early tee times for those first two days, and it seems like that was the short end of the stick because the course was brutal during the morning wave.
Jason Day
Many people felt Jason Day would have a good week after a win at the AT&T Byron Nelson, but he did not. He struggled on both days as Oak Hill stuck it to him. He shot a 72 to finish at +8. A costly bogey on 16 and a double on 17 put him entirely out of it.
Tom Kim
The guy who stole everyone’s hearts on Thursday after falling in the mud during his round couldn’t put together a good enough second round to make the cut, as Tom Kim will not play this weekend. After a first-round 73, he followed it up with a 75, putting him a +8 on the tournament. He made six bogeys, a double-bogey and three birdies on Friday.
Cameron Young
Cameron Young is also heading home after the first two days of the PGA Championship after shooting 74-75 to finish +9 in the tournament.
During his second round, he was penalized for not returning his ball on the green to its original place. After his major championship run last year, it’s surprising to see him miss the cut.
Sungjae Im
Travel seems to be why Sungjae Im’s poor performance at Oak Hill Country Club. He opened up the event with an 80 on Thursday, and while he played better on Friday to shoot a 73, it was not nearly enough. He finished the tournament at +13.
Sam Burns
Another surprising name to see among those heading home is Sam Burns. He has played well this year, and for him to shoot 74-80 is shocking. He finished at +14, and after two days of Oak Hill, Burns is probably ready to get home and reevaluate.