British Open: Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas among stars to miss cut

The British Open takes a unique toll on even the best players in the world. Just ask Dustin Johnson, who headlines the list of stars headed home early from Carnoustie.

Did you really think this British Open was going to take it easy this year? That a little bit of extra sun would turn “Car-Nasty” into a walk in a brown, dry Scottish park?

Clearly, you’ve got another think coming. We’re at the midway point of the 147th Open Championship, and while there’s no brutality or carnage (think 2002 at Muirfield), plenty of the game’s biggest stars are booking early tickets back home.

That list, of course, begins with world No. 1 and general golfing bulldozer Dustin Johnson. DJ has hardly shown the slightest (non-stair-related) weakness for the better part of three of four years. However, in that same window, the British Open has been the toughest event for Johnson to bring his A-game to.

This week was Johnson’s first missed cut at the Open since 2009, but none has really been as tailor-made for him as this week. Fair skies and blazing fast fairways should have fit his game perfectly. Unfortunately, a balky putter and Carnoustie’s brutal closing stretch combined to take DJ out.

Johnson took a combined 60 putts over 36 holes, but he also played Carnoustie’s brutal closing stretch horribly. For the 28 other holes of this British Open, Johnson shot even par. He was six-over on those final eight holes, and five over on the 18th alone.

That’s going to be a difficult pill to swallow, especially with how well DJ has been playing this year. However, he’s also far from alone in that particular misery. He’ll have plenty of company, notably from World No. 2 Justin Thomas.

Thomas, like Johnson, has never made significant inroads in the British Open. It’s a type of golf that, primarily, doesn’t cater to bombers, but it also can take a player several years to acclimate to. However, Thomas’s exit might actually be more painful than DJ’s.

Thomas actually played quite well in the opening round on Thursday, getting as low as four-under before a pair of late bogeys sent him into the clubhouse in two-under 69. On Friday, he bounced back from an early bogey with a comeback birdie, then the wheels fell off.

Three straight double bogeys sent Thomas to six-over on the round, and he made the turn at four-over for the championship. Back-to-back birdies on Nos. 13 and 14 got him back inside the presumed cut line, but then the closing stretch struck once again. Thomas made bogeys on 16 and 17, and then all he could do was wait and hope.

That wasn’t enough, but both Thomas and Johnson have plenty of time left to crack the Open code.

Notable players to miss the British Open cut

The top two players in the world weren’t the only big names sent packing on Friday. World No. 3 Justin Rose narrowly avoided elimination, and a place in history that he’d certainly rather avoid.

If Justin Rose misses the cut, it will be just the 2nd time since the inception of the World Ranking in 1986 than 1-2-3 in the world all MC'd in a major. It happened at the US Open last year.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) July 20, 2018

Here’s a summary of players whose hunt for the Claret Jug will have to wait at least one more year.

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Sergio Garcia, looking to avenge his painful runner-up finish here 11 years ago, was at two-under through 15 on Friday. A double-bogey on the par-3 16th sent him to +4 for the event, missing the cut by a stroke.
Hideki Matsuyama was comfortably inside the cut line after making eagle on the par-5 14th, and birdie on the No. 16. Carnoustie claimed yet another victim down the stretch though, as Matsuyama’s triple on 18 pushed him out of the action.
Jon Rahm’s major championship struggles continue, as the fiery Spaniard went 69-78 (+5) to miss the cut by two shots. While Rahm’s potential is clearly through the roof, you have to wonder when the results will start to match that on the game’s biggest stages.
Bubba Watson (+6) missed his fifth cut in his last seven majors. He’ll look to get back on the horse next month at Bellerive.

And, while he may not be the biggest name in the field anymore, we’d be remiss if we didn’t wish a potential British Open farewell to Sandy Lyle. The 60-year-old won the Open in 1985, and 2018 marked his 43rd career appearance. He’d likely play a few more years, but his past champion exemption has is ending, and he’ll have to qualify going forward. If it’s the last Open he plays, he went out with a smile, making birdie on 18 to massive cheers from the Carnoustie gallery.

Next: Tommy Fleetwood, Zach Johnson surge in British Open second round

While the field has narrowed to just 79 contenders, there’s plenty more action ahead on Moving Day. This Open is far from over.

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