Brooks Koepka, Adam Scott face tough realities after MCs at Open

The cut line at the Open Championship fell at 1 over par, allowing exactly 70 players to make the weekend at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

A few of the more notable names to miss the cut will be kicking themselves for more reasons than one.

Brooks Koepka (75-74, 7 over par) was a never a factor near the cut line Friday, making his lone birdie of the day on the 17th hole following four bogeys. The five-time major champion continued the worst major slump of his career.

Since hoisting the Wanamaker Trophy for the third time at the 2023 PGA Championship, Koepka has just two top-20 finishes at majors and missed three out of four cuts this year for the first time in his career.

Because his LIV Golf competitions do not earn him points in the U.S. Ryder Cup team rankings, Koepka is all but certain to miss this fall's contest at Bethpage Black after his 2023 major win helped him make the team that went to Rome. Koepka entered the week 72nd in the points; the top six after Aug. 17 automatically qualify, and captain Keegan Bradley will have plenty of better-performing options for his six selections.

For contrast, Koepka's former rival turned LIV Golf compatriot Bryson DeChambeau entered the week fifth in the U.S. points race thanks to his strong performance in majors in the current two-year cycle. DeChambeau shot a 6-under 65 on Friday to rally to make the cut on the number.

Adam Scott of Australia flamed out Friday with an 8-over 79 that included three double bogeys and just one birdie. At 9 over, he finished close to the bottom of the 156-man leaderboard.

The 45-year-old doesn't have Ryder Cups to worry about, but Scott may miss the FedEx Cup playoffs altogether after his latest meager performance. He was 84th in the standings entering the Open; only the top 70 qualify for the first playoff leg at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in three weeks' time.

Other notable names on the wrong side of the cut line included Jason Day of Australia and Joaquin Niemann of Chile (2 over); Patrick Cantlay and South Koreans Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim (3 over); Cameron Young (4 over); Patrick Reed (5 over); Collin Morikawa (7 over); and Australia's Cameron Smith (8 over), who won the Open at St Andrews in 2022.

Jacob Skov Olesen of Denmark, one of five co-leaders after the first round (4-under 67), dropped down the board with a 76 and barely made the cut at 1 over exactly. Thailand's Sadom Kaewkanjana followed a first-round 68 with a 79 and missed the cut entirely.

--Field Level Media