Before the action begins Saturday, we are assembling the crew of the live open champion writer to bow, especially those who make and miss out on the 36-hole cuts. Let's start with something painful and start cheering up.
1. Whose open champion MC hurts the most?
Gimme's two players respectively.
James Colgan: Collin Morikawa. Not long ago, Morikawa arrived at Pebble Beach to become one of the best players in the world. Everything else is better than victory. Now, he left the Open after several caddies, several testament moments and a major season. The gap between him and the top of the game looked wide after opening Portarush's opening 36 holes in the same group as Scottie Scheffler and losing with 17.
Sean Zach: Patrick Reed. His playing on the Ryder Cup team may be a slight possibility, but he must have been shut down this week when he shot 77 in the first round. He has been hovering in the top 40 this summer, which is very good. This is not good enough to be a Ryder Cup team in the United States.
Dylan Dethier: Cameron Smith It was the only golfer to play in all four majors this year, missing out on all four layoffs. The fact that he beat only 12 players in the second round of 78 made the MC particularly frustrating. Smith won the 2022 Open and won the top 10 in three of the next five majors. These battle journeys began long ago.
Corgen: Patrick Cantlay. After the international team undressed in the Presidents Cup a year ago, when the golf calendar turned to August 2025, Cantlay seemed incredible in addition to locking the American Ryder Cup team. Well, now we're in late July 25, Cantlay missed three consecutive layoffs on Majors, his only weekend ahead of T36's Masters.
To be clear, I still think Cantlay is a simple choice for Bethpage’s roster given his game record, but the main season of the Ryder Cup year was about building a resume, and Cantlay would certainly be better.
Zak: Adam Scott. I wonder if (on this site) his performance in Oakmont could be one of his last real debate moments in his profession. I hope not, but you will never know! Scott has 97 consecutive professional Grand Slams and should play 98 matches in Augusta in April. But he is not automatically qualified to play any other. He is also out there watching the FedEx Cup playoffs. As a result, he went straight to Minneapolis from Shortrus and made his first appearance at the 3m Open.
Desir: Brooks Koepka. There is no doubt that the pedigree of men; Koepka, a five-time major champion, tied with Rory McIlroy for the highest profession in the post-Tegel era. But he just missed his third major advancement in 2025, with him only one top 25 in his last nine games – the T12 at the U.S. Open last month.
Another person worth mentioning: Tom McGibbin. The 22-year-old Northern Irishman entered the week with a local favorite. Currently, he is the second player in the country after Rory McIlroy. There is no doubt that McGibbin is talented, but it will be fun to see him successfully enter the path of professionalism in the future. Currently, he is not eligible for the four qualifiers for 2026.
2. On the good stuff, then: Who is cut means the biggest?
Two of each-Korgen, you start over.
Korgen: Bryson DeChambeau This is especially important given the way it unfolds at Royal Prothush on Thursday. I admit, I think the big guy got rid of it after the door was opened at 78. He looks like it can be seen at most of the openings of Thursday’s Open Championship. He then came out on Friday, recorded 65 shots and on Saturday with another 68 impressive 68 years old. At least I was greatly impressed by his resilience.
Zak: Justin Leonard. The 53-year-old has some certification pep His start of 70 shots fresh in a step he chatted with him Thursday night. After the second round of 73, he was laid off for the first time in his major since the 2014 U.S. Open. I'll be hyped too!
Desir: Lee Westwood. The 52-year-old hasn't even played in the major since the 2022 Open, and it's the summer he signed with Liv. The fact that he is qualified and then not just advance, but plays his role? It's a reminder that this is a man who has won five top four in this competition in decades of top professional golf.
Korgen: Matt Fitzpatrick. Reels in the Ryder Cup rankings reveal how far Fitzy has been in the slump in the past 18 months (he ranks 22nd, listing Porthush as a list, trailing Jorge Campillo and Jon Rahm, who has yet to earn any Liv tournaments with Ryder Cup points). On Saturday, he will play the Open in the last pair next to Scottie Scheffler, a sign of where his golf is trending, and another good news for Euro Captain Luke Donald.
Zak: Justin Thomas. As the owner of one of the more confusing major championship records, JT Kinda needs this record. He missed the layoffs of Quail Hollow and Oakmont, with just 13 top 30 in 13 major matches, and his history goes back to his 2022 PGA win. He will play several weekend rounds on a big stage before he becomes a big game for the US Ryder Cup team.
Desir: Jordan Spieth. Talk about a person who has a lot to do. Spieth missed six months after the surgery, returned and competed in a million consecutive matches, performed well, with injuries exited from the traveler, took some time, became a father for the third time, and arrived in Northern Ireland in time. Lurking in the top 50 in the FedEx Cup, he was on the verge of a Ryder Cup conversation and even ranked 50th in Portrush’s appearance, feeling much better than MC.
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Dylan Dethier
Dylan Dethier is a senior writer at Golf Magazine/Golf.com. Williamstown, Massachusetts native joined the 2017 golf ball after two years of mini travel. Dethier, a graduate of Williams College, majored in English, is the 18-year-old American author, details the year he lived at the age of 18 and played a round of golf in each state.
James Colgan
James Colgan is Golf news and writes stories for websites and magazines. He manages the media verticals of popular microphones, golf, and leverages his camera experience on the brand platform. Before joining golf, James graduated from Syracuse University, during which time he was a caddie scholarship recipient (and Astute looper) from Long Island, where he came from. He can be contacted at james.colgan@golf.com.
Sean Zak
Sean Zak is a senior writer and author Search in St Andrews This is after his most critical summer trip to Scotland in the history of the competition.