British Open 2023: 8 surprises who missed the cut at Royal Liverpool

HOYLAKE, England — A birdie on the final hole was not enough for Collin Morikawa to salvage weekend golf at Royal Liverpool. His second consecutive 73, and four-over-par total, meant the two-time major winner has missed the cut in both Open Championships since his 2021 victory at Royal St. George’s.

World No. 19 Morikawa, who tied for second place at the Rocket Mortgage Classic after losing to Rickie Fowler in a playoff, tried a different preparation this year—voting to relax and play some tasty links courses in the U.K. instead of contesting the Scottish Open, where he has not played well. Although it didn't pay off, it was likely a necessary pressure release for a player chasing his first win since the 2021 DP World Tour Championship.

“We played some great golf courses. I was able to play Walton Heath where they're having the Women's British Open, West Lancashire Saturday and Royal Birkdale on Sunday," Morikawa said earlier in the week. "I got some really good prep, even though tournament golf you can never trade that in, it was a well-needed two weeks off.”

Here is a look at other notables who missed the cut:

Two-time major winner Justin Thomas shot himself out of the championship with a first-round 82, his second major championship round in the 80s this year, following an 81 in the second round at the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. He rebounded nicely with an even-par 71 but shot 11-over total and missed the cut by eight shots.

“I’ll hit shots like a No. 1 player in the world, and then I’ll make a 9 on my last hole of the tournament,” Thomas said. “I don’t know if it’s a focus thing or I’m just putting too much pressure on myself or what it is, but when I figure it out, I’ll be better for it.”

Dustin Johnson quietly shot 10-over 81 in the second round and missed the cut by 10 shots. The two-time major champion made six bogeys, two doubles bogeys and no birdies Friday at Royal Liverpool. He tied for 48th at the Masters, tied for 55th at the PGA Championship and tied for 10th place at the U.S. Open.

Keegan Bradley, the 2011 PGA champion who won the Travelers Championship last month, was also four over par and that resulted in his third straight missed cut at the Open. He made six birdies and a lone bogey in a second-round 76 to miss by one.

Sahith Theegala and Joaquin Niemann missed the cut by two shots but both rebounded nicely on Friday after recording poor rounds on Thursday. Theegala, ranked No. 35, shot a first-round 79, but made five birdies in the second round and shot 68. Niemann, who plays for LIV Golf, shot 78 in Round 1 and followed it with a 69, including birdies on the last two holes.

Tony Finau bogeyed three of the last four holes to miss the cut by three shots. The World No. 16, surprisingly, has not played well since his victory in Mexico back in April. In six events since then, his best finish is a 23rd-place tie, but he has missed three cuts.

Further down the leaderboard was Phil Mickelson, the 2013 Open champion at Muirfield who recently tied second place at the Masters this year behind Jon Rahm. Mickelson’s Mickelson’s 77-74 bundled him out of the Open early for the fourth consecutive year.

Is it the British Open or the Open Championship? The name of the final men’s major of the golf season is a subject of continued discussion. The event’s official name, as explained in this op-ed by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. But since many United States golf fans continue to refer to it as the British Open, and search news around the event accordingly, Golf Digest continues to utilize both names in its coverage.

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