The U.S. Open cut mark was set at five-over-par at Pinehurst No. 2 on Friday, with the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson failing to make the weekend

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are among the big names who didn’t make the cut at this week’s U.S. Open, as Pinehurst No. 2 proved too challenging for many of the world’s top players.

The North Carolina course was known to be brutal heading into the tournament, and it lived up to its reputation. The wild rough areas and lightning-fast greens were a challenge for the competitors, leading to a halfway cut-line mark of five-over-par on Friday.

Even Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 golfer in the world and dominant force in 2024, almost missed out on the weekend, making it by just one shot.

However, some of Scheffler’s biggest rivals weren’t so fortunate. Here’s a look at some key players who found themselves on the wrong side of the cut line.

Viktor Hovland (+6)

FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland had a week he’d rather forget. Changes to his coaching team led to a slow start to the season, despite being the PGA Tour’s top player the previous year.

He returned to familiar faces in recent weeks, which helped him regain his form, but he couldn’t bring his best game to Pinehurst No. 2.

Hovland’s week in North Carolina began with a nightmare start, as the world No. 5 scored an eight-over-par 78 in his opening round on Thursday. Despite shooting a two-under 68 on Friday, he fell short of the cut by one shot, ensuring an early departure.

Max Homa (+6)

Another top-10 player to miss Friday’s cut was Hovland’s playing partner Max Homa. The American’s opening round wasn’t too shabby, ending his first 18-holes at one-over-par in challenging conditions.

However, Homa struggled on day two, shooting a five-over 75, joining Hovland in missing out on the weekend.

Max Homa missed the cut ahead of the weekend. ( Image: Getty Images)Tiger Woods (+7)

The great Woods had a disappointing week, missing the U.S. Open cut by just two shots. The three-time winner had a tough start in round one, carding a four-over-par 74 on Thursday, leaving him with work to do on day two.

Despite the challenging conditions at Pinehurst, Woods shot a three-over 73, ensuring he would miss the weekend. The former world No. 1 had several chances to make birdie to get himself on the right side of the cut line throughout his back nine, but unfortunately for Woods, his attempts on the putting green failed to drop.

Tiger Woods’ future is murky after a disappointing weekend. ( Image: Getty)Jason Day (+8)

Jason Day was another golfer who managed to weather the storm on day one at Pinehurst No. 2, finishing his opening 18 holes at over-over-par.

However, day two proved costly for the former world No. 1, as he struggled throughout Friday, carding a seven-over 77 and eventually missing the 36-hole cut line by two.

Dustin Johnson (+9)

Dustin Johnson’s difficulties continued at Pinehurst, with the LIV star missing a second cut in three starts at the flagship event. Johnson had a week to forget at the Masters, missing the cut by a significant margin at Augusta National.

This trend continued on Friday, with the 4Aces captain carding a four-over 74 followed by a five-over 75, ending his tournament early.

Justin Thomas (+11)

Tiger Woods’ close friend Justin Thomas also failed to make the cut required to play 72 holes this week. Thomas has been struggling to find his best form over the past year or two, and his struggles on the course continued this week.

He followed up a dismal seven-over 77 on Thursday with a four-over 74 on Friday, missing his fourth cut in five major starts.

Phil Mickelson (+15)

Mickelson’s dreams of completing the career Grand Slam were quickly dashed on Friday, after missing a third cut in four starts at the U.S. Open. Mickelson can blame his opening round on Thursday, where the LIV Golf stalwart stumbled out of the blocks to card a frustrating nine-over 79 in round one.

The disappointment didn’t end there for him. Just a day later, he couldn’t regain his past glory that made him one of the greatest golfers ever. He ended his tournament with a six-over 76 in the second round.