NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — For the second straight major, Bryson DeChambeau is headed home early. This time, there wasn’t a dramatic collapse on Friday afternoon like at the Masters. Instead, DeChambeau did his damage with a Thursday 76 and never threatened to mount a charge in Friday’s second round. By the end of 36 holes, DeChambeau shot 7 over and missed the cut at the 2026 PGA Championship by three shots.
DeChambeau entered the week desperate to make a statement about his place in the game’s hierarchy amid LIV Golf’s uncertain future; instead, he only added to the questions facing him as he tries to figure out what’s next in his career. As much as the big picture questions loom over him, what stands out is how his problems on the course are much more immediate.
DeChambeau’s issues with his iron and wedge play were once again at the forefront of his struggles, finishing the week well outside the top 100 in strokes gained approach and around the green. What’s most concerning is that he doesn’t seem all that close to a breakthrough with those clubs, spending hours on the range this week trying to find a feel that just won’t come.
The only good news for DeChambeau? Beyond finishing his 36 holes with three straight birdies, the next time we see him play in a major, it will be at the U.S. Open, where he’s a two-time champion. Perhaps that can bring him the positive vibes he needs, but Shinnecock Hills will be an exacting test of his ball-striking again and demand that he find the answers he currently doesn’t have.
They say misery loves company, and DeChambeau has plenty of that at Aronimink this week. He is far from the only notable name to miss the cut, as he’s joined in the trunk-slamming club on Friday by a host of stars who just couldn’t crack the code of the Philly area gem.
2026 PGA Championship cut line: Notables missing weekend
- Michael Block (+5)
- Sungjae Im (+5)
- Akshay Bhatia (+5)
- Russell Henley (+5)
- Tommy Fleetwood (+5)
- Robert MacIntyre (+5)
- Garrick Higgo (+5)
- Wyndham Clark (+5)
- J.J. Spaun (+6)
- Viktor Hovland (+6)
- Keegan Bradley (+6)
- Gary Woodland (+6)
- Tyrrell Hatton (+6)
- Bryson DeChambeau (+7)
- Adam Scott (+8)
- Max Homa (+12)
Block entered the day at even par, but he couldn’t recapture the magic from Oak Hill and slowly fell outside the cutline, ending his round with two closing bogeys. Henley, Fleetwood and Im came in with high hopes on a ball-strikers course but never found their A-game. Bhatia got off to a fast start but had it all go wrong after his first nine, while Hovland struggled from the jump and never seemed comfortable with the course.
Higgo might be the accidental breakout star of the PGA Championship, as his two-stroke penalty for being late for his Thursday morning tee time became one of the stories of the day. Unfortunately for Higgo, that penalty cost him the weekend and a paycheck, which might not be worth the publicity he picked up.
