The first two rounds of the 2026 Masters are in the books, and the leaderboard for this year’s event looks very similar to how last year’s ended. That’s with defending champion Rory McIlroy on top at 12-under-par. The Irishman has a commanding six-stroke lead over both Patrick Reed (-6) and Sam Burns (-6), but just as big a story is the list of names who had their 2026 Masters end on Friday.
A host of noteworthy names failed to make the cut, which was 4-over-par. There were 54 players who will continue throughout the weekend competing for a green jacket in Augusta, Georgia, while 37 golfers missed the cut. Among that group, these are the most notable.
Bryson DeChambeau
Only World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was a bigger pre-tournament favorite than Bryson DeChambeau, who was seeking his first green jacket to join his pair of U.S. Open wins. No golfer in the world stepped onto Augusta National hotter than DeChambeau, who won each of his last two events, both of which were on LIV Golf. He had a chance to continue his winning streak, despite a rocky first 35 holes, then all hell broke loose on what ended up being his final hole of the tournament.
On the 18th hole in Round 2, DeChambeau’s drive on the par-4 went wide right and into the trees. Then his second shot landed in a greenside bunker. However, there was still some hope as DeChambeau simply needed a bogey or better to make the projected cut line. That hope faded, though, when his shot from the bunker didn’t make it out of the sand, forcing his fourth to also come from there. Shot No. 4 landed on the green but then trickled off it, followed by his bogey attempt being a chip. He then two-putted to finish his tournament with a triple bogey and missed the cut.
Robert MacIntyre
Sam Burns shot a 71 in Round 2 and is in second place entering the weekend. Meanwhile, Robert MacIntyre shot a 71 in Round 2 and is now on his way back to his native Scotland. The Scot is the only golfer who broke par in either of the first two rounds and did not make the cut, with MacIntyre’s Thursday to blame. He opened the Masters with an 8-over-par score of 80, as just six players in the field had a worse score. MacIntyre going home early is a surprise considering his recent run—he was runner-up just one week earlier at the Texas Open and placed fourth in his preceding start at the Players Championship.
Cameron Smith
Since winning both the Players Championship and British Open in 2022, then jumping to LIV Golf shortly thereafter, we haven’t heard much from Cameron Smith. He does have three victories with LIV, but none since 2023. However, Smith does have a history of success at Augusta, as he entered the 2026 Masters with top 10s in four of his last six starts at the tournament. In fact, he has more top 10s at the Masters (five) than he has top 10s at all other majors combined (four).
But that course history wasn’t apparent this week. He finished with 10 bogeys, one double bogey, and just five birdies, and has now missed the cut in an astounding six straight majors, after missing the cut just five times over his first 32 major appearances.
Zach Johnson
The 2007 Masters champion, Zach Johnson, was one of 18 past champions in this year’s field, as past winners have lifetime exemption. He turned 50 this year and is now a regular on the PGA Champions Tour, and others on that tour likely wanted to check his birth certificate to confirm his age due to his recent run. Over his last three PGA Champions events, Johnson had a win, a runner-up, and a third-place finish.
Yes, that was against others aged 50 and older, and yes, it was over three-round tournaments, but it’s hard to ignore that success from a past Masters champion. However, Johnson couldn’t carry that over against the PGA Tour’s best as he shot 3-over-par on both days to finish at +6.
Akshay Bhatia
The most all-encompassing stat on the PGA Tour is strokes gained: total, which is akin to what passer rating is to quarterbacks. Entering the Masters 2026, Akshay Bhatia ranked sixth in SG: total, which indicates elite ball-striking metrics this season. He then had a decent start at Augusta, finishing Thursday’s round 1-over-par, before a sensational start to Round 2, birdying three of his first six holes.
Entering the back-nine at 2-under-par, Bhatia was well-positioned to contend for his first major title. However, he then ran into arguably the worst stretch of holes over his entire golfing career, as the 24-year-old had three bogeys and three double-bogeys over the back-nine. That left him at 6-over for the tournament—he’s the only player to shoot 73 or better in the first round but still miss the cut.
J.J. Spaun
The reigning U.S. Open champion is also the last person to win a PGA Tour event. J.J. Spaun won the Valero Texas Open last Sunday for the second time in his career. But he just couldn’t find it at Augusta, finishing 5-over-par, and that U.S. Open victory is starting to look like an outlier with every ensuing major for Spaun. Across 12 starts at majors, that U.S. Open win is Spaun’s only top 20 finish, but still, he will forever be a major champion.
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