KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – World No. 1 Dustin Johnson became the first top-ranked player to miss the cut in consecutive major championships since Greg Norman in 1997, but he wasn’t the only top player to struggle at the PGA Championship.
Johnson, who withdrew from last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson with an ailing knee, opened with a 76 and quickly dropped outside the cut with a 2-over opening nine on Friday. Although he eagled the par-5 seventh hole and birdied the ninth, he finished with a 74 for a 6-over total to miss the cut by a shot. He declined to speak with the media after his round.
World No. 2 Justin Thomas also missed the cut at the year’s second major with back-to-back rounds of 75. It’s the first time he’s missed the cut at the PGA Championship, which he won in 2017.
Xander Schauffele, the fourth-ranked player in the world, will also miss the weekend following a second-round 77. It’s Schauffele’s first missed cut since The Players Championship.
Adam Scott (72), Tommy Fleetwood (75) and Marc Leishman (76) also missed the cut while Henrik Stenson birdied his final hole to secure a weekend tee time.