World No. 1 Jin Young Ko, Lexi Thompson among top players to miss cut at U.S. Women’s Open

PEBBLE BEACH — World No. 1 Jin Young Ko had a 29-foot must-make putt on the 18th hole at Pebble Beach. Instead of being a putt to put her into contention and keep hopes alive of winning the U.S. Women’s Open, it was a putt to get her into the weekend. Ko’s bid ran by, resulting in a seven-over-par finish for 36 holes. The cut fell right at six over.

Pebble Beach has proved a difficult test for the LPGA’s first visit. Only six players are under par heading to the weekend, with Bailey Tardy's seven under leading the way despite the course playing to an average of almost four over for the week.

RELATED: Rose Zhang moved up 11 spots in the afternoon without hitting a shot

Here are nine notable players who missed the cut.

Anna Nordqvist (78-73, seven over)

Nordqvist’s consistent run of form, including a T-3 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, came to a close after an opening six-over-par 78. The three-time major champion is missing her first weekend in the U.S. Women’s Open since 2018.

Jin Young Ko (79-72, seven over)

An uncharacteristic opening 79 proved insurmountable for Ko to recover and advance to the weekend. The World No. 1 snaps three consecutive top-10s at the U.S. Women’s Open, and this will be her first Ωfinish outside the top 20 in seven career Women's Open starts.

Megan Khang (73-78, seven over)

Khang, like Ko, had three-straight top-10s at the U.S. Women’s Open heading into Pebble. Unlike Ko, her poor round came on the back nine Friday, bogeying the last five holes to miss the weekend by a shot.

Danielle Kang (73-78, seven over)

Kang’s undoing came on her final side of the week, posting a 40 on the Pebble’s front nine. The opening nine played 1.5 strokes easier than the back on Friday. It is Kang’s first missed cut of the season.

Atthaya Thitikul (76-76, eight over)

The former World No. 1 has now missed back-to-back cuts, the first time she’s done that in her LPGA career. Granted both were majors, yet still it's a "first" she's not thrilled with. The missed weekends follow an impressive run of 14 top-10 finishes over 16 tournaments.

Lexi Thompson (74-79, nine over)

It feels wrong to look at, but Thompson, 28, is missing her fourth cut of six starts this year. It’s the fifth missed cut in Thompson’s 17 career starts at the U.S. Women’s Open.

Jennifer Kupcho (76-77, nine over)

After losing in a playoff to Rose Zhang at the Mizuho Americas Open and a T-6 at the Meijer LPGA Classic, it felt like the 2022 Chevron Championship winner turned her season around. Instead, it’s back-to-back missed cuts at the last two majors. Kupcho hasn’t made the weekend at a major in 2023.

Amy Olson (79-77, 12 over)

Olson qualified at six months pregnant. Now 30 weeks in, it’s Olson’s second inspiring U.S. Women’s Open start since 2020, when she held the 54-hole lead, only to learn the news her father-in-law Lee Olson passed away before the start of play.

Olson’s been non-committal about returning to the LPGA after this week. She currently has limited status on tour, with Pebble Beach marking her fourth start.

Lilia Vu (79-82, 17 over)

Shockingly, Vu has not made the cut in four starts since winning the Chevron Championship in April. She’s one of three two-time winners on the LPGA this year (Ruoning Yin, Jin Young Ko). This week marks a career-worst, as it’s the highest 36-hole missed cut score of her career. Her previous worst was a 12 over par at the 2019 ShopRite LPGA Classic.