MATT FITZPATRICK will miss the cut at The Open Championship after rounds of 72 and 72 left him 4 over through two days at Royal Birkdale. For one of England's top players and a PGA TOUR Player of the Year frontrunner, it was a quick exit before the weekend and a reminder of how little room there is for error in links golf.
Fitzpatrick said he felt like he had done enough on a few stretches to stay in contention, but the scorecard never really turned in his favor. "You've just got to look at three or four holes for me," he said. "I've hit decent shots, gotten no luck and come away with 4-over par." He added, "That's the way links golf is," and, "You need to have that rub of the green sometimes, and I didn't have it this week."
A tight cut line and a busy Friday
The cut line at Royal Birkdale was still projected at 1 over, and Friday produced movement in both directions. Rory McIlroy shot 67 and moved to 1 under overall. Sam Burns posted a 62 and climbed to 5 under. Wyndham Clark shot 70 in the second round and finished 3 over. Tom Kim was at 73 and will not play the weekend, while Aaron Rai also sat at 1 over and was headed home.
There was also a notable recovery from Eric Cole, who opened with a 76 on Thursday but shot 64 on Friday to survive at even par. He joked that after the turnaround, "We were looking at different flights home."
For Fitzpatrick, though, the damage was already done. This is his first missed cut at The Open since 2018, and his first missed cut at a major since the 2024 PGA Championship. The Englishman entered the week with a strong profile and serious expectations, but 72-72 left him outside the weekend field and looking for a reset after a frustrating two rounds in Southport.
