In the 2025 US Open, two-time champion Brooks Koepka exhibited flashes of his major-winning talent, yet struggled with a round of 74, leaving him at two over par for the tournament.
Trailing two shots behind, 2021 winner Jon Rahm experienced a disappointing drop, having shown promise on the opening day.
Starting three strokes off the lead, Rahm faced three bogeys on the front nine, compounded by a costly double bogey at the 12th, pushing him to four over par. He managed just a single birdie at the fourth hole.
His frustration mounted as he missed several birdie opportunities down the stretch, culminating in a bogey on the final hole, placing him seven shots behind the leader.
“I’m too mad to put it into perspective,” Rahm reflected post-round.
At least he made it through to the weekend.
In a stark contrast, Bryson DeChambeau could not replicate his victorious form from Pinehurst last June, fading from contention in this year’s event.
Also failing to make the cut were Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg and England’s Tommy Fleetwood, finishing at eight over and nine over respectively.
Ireland’s Shane Lowry, ending at 17 over, faced additional challenges, including a penalty for lifting his ball without marking it on the 14th green.
“Maybe my mind was somewhere else,” Lowry chuckled while recounting the odd incident to BBC Sport. “It’s one of the silliest things I’ve done.”
Meanwhile, six-time runner-up Phil Mickelson, hinting that this might be his final US Open, missed a crucial birdie putt on the last hole, leaving him on the wrong side of the cut line.
On a brighter note, France’s Victor Perez achieved a remarkable hole-in-one on the par-three sixth, though a triple-bogey eight in a level-par 70 kept him at one over, still within striking distance of the top 10.