10 surprising players to miss the Masters cut

While it’s absolutely not a surprise to see Scottie Scheffler atop the Masters leaderboard, it might be more of a surprise to see Bryson DeChambeau and Max Homa up there with him.

Yet it’s still not as big of a shock as the multitude of big-name players who missed the Masters’ 36-hole cut. Augusta National was especially unkind Friday, with high winds that ballooned the scoring average to above 75.

Rickie Fowler, Hideki Matsuyama and Tom Kim just barely survived the carnage, making the cut on the number at six over par, the highest Masters cut since 2017. But who did miss the weekend? Scroll below to find out.

Notables to miss the cut at the 2024 Masters

Justin Thomas

What he shot: 72-79 (+7)

Why it’s surprising: Thomas stood on the 15th tee at even par for the tournament, likely hoping for a birdie on the par-5 to get into red figures. Instead, he overcooked his layup trying to hook it around the trees and hit it in the pond short of the green. He doubled 15, followed with another on 16, added a bogey on 17 and closed with a third double on 18 to shoot 79 and watch his tournament hopes eject into the stratosphere. Thomas misses the cut for the second consecutive time after starting his Masters career with seven made cuts in a row. Thomas also controversially split with caddie Jim “Bones” Mackay entering the week.

Wyndham Clark

What he shot: 73-78 (+7)

Why it’s surprising: Clark was making an argument as the best player in the world not named Scottie Scheffler. He finished runner up to him in his last two starts before this week and had won at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier this year. He was the highest-ranked Masters rookie ever at No. 4 in the Official World Golf Ranking. But that couldn’t protect the 2023 U.S. Open winner from a late bogey on 17 to send him home.

Justin Rose

What he shot: 73-78 (+7)

Why it’s surprising: Rose hasn’t played well this season on the PGA Tour but has usually found success at Augusta. This week will mark just the third time in 19 career appearances he hasn’t played the weekend. During his 16 made cuts, he’s recorded 14 top 25s, including a playoff loss to Sergio Garcia in 2017.

Sungjae Im

What he shot: 77-74 (+7)

Why it’s surprising: Im was a trendy pick to win his first major this week with a good history at Augusta, having two top 10s in four starts including a runner-up finish in his 2020 debut. This will be Im’s second missed cut in five tries, but each time he’s played the weekend, he’s finished T16 or better.

Sergio Garcia

What he shot: 72-79 (+7)

Why it’s surprising: Garcia, who drew lots of headlines for his bright outfits and media comments this week, was in good form coming in, have notched two runner-ups in LIV events this season, including last week in Miami. But the 2017 Masters winner struggled in Friday’s brutal conditions. He crumbled to finish his second round, making three straight bogeys on Nos. 15-17 before posting double at the last.

Viktor Hovland

What he shot: 71-81 (+8)

Why it’s surprising: Hovland made a case that he was the best player in the world last summer and fall when he won the final two FedEx Cup Playoff events and dominated at the Ryder Cup. The form hasn’t carried over to 2024 as he hasn’t finished better than T19 in any start this season and seemed like he was searching for his swing when he arrived at Augusta. A bogey-triple-par-double-bogey run to start his second round doomed him after a solid opening round.

Jordan Spieth

What he shot: 79-74 (+9)

Why it’s surprising: The 2015 Masters champ is seemingly in the mix every year at Augusta. But not this one. Spieth was battling from the get-go when his pitch at his first hole of the tournament rolled back to him, leading to a double. He had gotten it to one over with a birdie on 13 to start his day Friday morning, then imploded with a 9 at 15, ballooning his score to a 79, the worst of his Masters career. He made a quad before on 15, in 2017 when he finished T11, but this year, he won’t be around for the weekend for just the second time.

Brian Harman

What he shot: 81-72 (+9)

Why it’s surprising: Brian Harman opened his first Masters as a major champion by going out in 34 in tough conditions Thursday afternoon at Augusta. He didn’t break 80 when he finished his round Friday morning. The 2023 Champion Golfer of the Year played Amen Corner in four over par and then eroded on the final three holes, finishing with three straight 6s. It’s his fourth missed cut in six Masters appearances.

Sam Burns

What he shot: 80-73 (+9)

Why it’s surprising: Like his good buddy Scheffler, Sam Burns also vowed to withdraw if his pregnant wife went into labor during the tournament. The five-time PGA Tour winner and U.S. Ryder Cup team member won’t have to worry about it after rounds of 80 and 73 send him home early at his third Masters.

Dustin Johnson

What he shot: 78-79 (+13)

Why it’s surprising: The 2020 Masters winner and scoring-record holder had decent form coming into the year’s first major. He got a victory in LIV Golf’s second event of the season in February in Las Vegas but hasn’t recorded a top 20 since. His track record at Augusta has been trending in the wrong direction as this is the second year in four starts he missed the weekend since winning the green jacket. The 78 and 79 are Johnson’s two highest rounds at the Masters.

Jack Hirsh

Golf.com Editor

Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.