SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. – Bryson DeChambeau spent a big part of the first day of the U.S. Open on the leaderboard. He spent most of the second day wondering if those trains pulling into the nearby Long Island Rail Road station were coming for him.
Two ugly three-putts led to a pair of double bogeys early in Friday's round for DeChambeau and he never recovered. He shot 5-over 75 to finish at 145 and lead an all-star cast of former U.S. Open champions who fell short of the cut line, which landed at 144.
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DeChambeau, the 2020 and ‘24 champion, failed to make the top 60 and has now missed the weekend at all three majors this year. He joined 2017 and ’18 winner Brooks Koepka, 2021 winner Jon Rahm and defending champion J.J. Spaun on the sideline for the weekend where Wyndham Clark, the 2023 champ, will start with a four-shot lead at 7 under.
Koepka shot 77 to miss by six and snap the longest active streak of 11 straight made cuts at the U.S. Open.
Rahm also spent some time on the leaderboard Thursday and looked like a good bet for the weekend when he made the turn Friday. A string of four straight bogeys and a double on the back nine sent him packing with a 78 that left him two shots short of the cut.
Spaun shot 7-over 77 in the first round and not even his eagle on the par-5 fifth toward the end of the day kept him from being a bit player in the threesome featuring Scottie Scheffler, who shot 68 to head into the weekend at 140. Spaun missed by four.
As always, the cut produced its distinct brand of drama as the sun began to set on Shinnecock.
A lot of it revolved around Dylan Wu. After he made a bogey on the par-5 16th, the cut line jumped from 3 to 4 over. He was sitting in the rough off the 18th fairway with these possibilities: make par to make the cut at 4 over; make birdie to push the number back to 3 over, costing 12 other players spots for the weekend; or make bogey and miss the cut himself.
He lashed the shot over the green and finished a delicate up and down with a 7-foot putt, meaning he'll be one of the 72 players with tee times Saturday.
Other notables:
— Harris English couldn't cash in for birdie from 35 feet on No. 9 and missed his first cut in 11 appearances at the Open.
— Chris Gotterup needed a 6-footer on 18 to make it on the number.
— Jacob Bridgeman locked down a two-putt par from 70 feet on No. 18 to make it on the number.
Nobody went through more of a roller coaster than Patrick Reed, who finished his round on the front nine. He made double bogey on No. 4 to fall to 6 over, but answered with an eagle on the par-5 fifth to get back on the number. He bogeyed No. 8 and needed a birdie from 50 feet on his last hole, which barely came up short.
It marked only the second missed weekend in 12 U.S. Opens for the 2018 Masters champion, who is eligible to return to the PGA Tour in August after moving to LIV Golf in 2022.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf