The 2026 Open Championship delivered its share of heartbreak at Royal Birkdale on Friday, as the second round wrapped up with a projected cut line of plus one that sent several major champions packing early. Rory McIlroy managed to survive the scare after mounting a late charge, but plenty of other big names weren’t so fortunate on the Southport links.
Jordan Spieth’s exit might sting the most. The man who lifted the Claret Jug at this very venue back in 2017 saw his week unravel in spectacular fashion, carding a three-putt double bogey and a quadruple bogey that left him stranded at ten over par, well clear of the wrong side of the cut. It was a grim return to a course that once served as the backdrop for one of the signature moments of his career.
He had plenty of company in the early-departure lounge. Justin Rose and Wyndham Clark both finished at three over, while Matt Fitzpatrick and Viktor Hovland came in at four over. Brian Harman, who knows what it takes to win an Open, posted a nine-over total. Cameron Smith, Jason Day, Tom Kim, and Padraig Harrington were among the other recognizable faces who won’t be playing the weekend.
At the other end of the leaderboard, Lucas Herbert seized control with an eight-under finish through 36 holes, opening up a two-shot cushion over a logjam tied for second. Cameron Young, Jackson Suber, and Ryan Gerard all sit at six under, while Bryson DeChambeau headlines a group at five under that includes Sam Burns and Si Woo Kim. Scottie Scheffler is very much in the mix at four under alongside Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre, Francesco Molinari, and several others who remain within striking distance heading into moving day.
Only the top seventy golfers and ties advanced past Friday’s play under Open Championship rules. With conditions expected to test the field again over the weekend, those who made it will need every bit of margin they’ve built for themselves against Royal Birkdale’s relentless challenge.
