6 amazing players who missed the cut for the 2026 Players Championship
Shane Lowry made it a second time by letting it fly on the 18th hole on Thursday.
The 2019 Open Champion tried to get his ball to the right and miss the water, but he quickly let go of that futile attempt and saw it splash down, becoming the 1,000th shot to go into the water on the finishing hole at TPC Sawgrass since 2003.
Lowry was even par when he finished 18th on Thursday. He went 4-over par following a quadruple bogey and never recovered.
The 2025 Ryder Cup champion was popular at this week’s Players Championship. He nearly won the Cognizant Classic two weeks ago before making a late save to hand the trophy to Nico Echavarria. He has five top-20s from 10 at TPC Sawgrass and loves to play golf in Florida.
But this was not Lowry’s week. That quadruple bogey sent him down the leaderboard, and he couldn’t climb that hole on Friday.
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy didn’t make the cut. Ludwig Aberg and Xander Schauffele are at the top of the board. Most of the PGA Tour’s biggest names have a Saturday tee time, but Lowry leads our list of notables who won’t be playing this weekend at TPC Sawgrass.
Notable players who missed the cut at the Players Championship
Honorable mention: Collin Morikawa
Morikawa was one of the pre-tournament favorites and for good reason. He won at Pebble Beach and followed that up with a T7 at Genesis and a runner-up finish at API. But Morikawa bogeyed his second hole on Thursday and had to withdraw. If he had played 36 holes, he would have topped this list. But since it’s injury related, he just politely says to start.
6. Joel Dahmen
That’s intense: 77-73
It is noteworthy because: He played good golf when he got on the course. Dahmen missed the cut at the tough Bay Hill, but placed in the top ten at Farmers and Cognizant to start the season. His golf was solid, but a first-round 77 spelled his end at TPC Sawgrass.
Jordan Spieth’s Wild Players round left him with a lingering, relatable feeling
By:
Josh Schrock
5. Kurt Kitayama
That’s intense: 74-75
It is noteworthy because: Kitayama came in playing good golf. He backed up a T2 at Riviera with a top-20 finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but didn’t go this week at Sawgrass.
4. Jake Knapp
That’s intense: 75-72
It is noteworthy because: Knapp has been playing excellent golf to start the year. He went T11-T5-T8-T8-6 through his first five starts of the season, including an impressive showing at the Genesis Invitational. But he was a late WD from last week’s Arnold Palmer and clearly hasn’t had his best stuff this week.
3. Harris English
That’s intense: 73-77
It is noteworthy because: The world number 16 had not missed the cut since last year’s API. The English had not finished in the T28 in the six matches that started this season before this week. A quadruple bogey 8 on the 18th hole (his ninth of the day) on Friday spelled the end of his tournament.
2. Ben Griffin
That’s intense: 70-78
It is noteworthy because: Griffin was one of the hottest players on the PGA Tour last year. He won the individual events, won the team event at the Zurich Classic, finished second at the Memorial and made the Ryder Cup team. His game has been completed to start the year. His best finish is a T19 at the Sony Open, and he loses a stroke off the tee again when he gets close.
1. Shane Lowry
That’s intense: 76-73
It is noteworthy because: Lowry had three holes in the win two weeks ago at Cognizant and looked to be back in top form. He put in and now he has missed two shots in a row. Lowry has had success at TPC Sawgrass in the past, but a quadruple bogey to end his first round put him eight balls behind, and he couldn’t recover on Friday.
