6 most surprising missed cuts at 2026 Masters (including JJ Spaun)

We're through two rounds of the Masters, and it looks like Rory McIlroy could be primed to repeat as champion in 2026.

McIlroy, who ended a decade-plus major drought last year, leads the field by seven strokes with a score of 12-under following Round 2 as he looks to become the fourth golfer to win back-to-back Masters and the first since Tiger Woods in 2001-02. However, not everyone in the field is so lucky.

The cut line was set at 4-over following the second round on Friday, and several highly ranked golfers who were expected to compete in Augusta this week are now going home empty-handed after disappointing two-day showings.

Here are the five most surprising golfers who missed the cut at the Masters this weekend.

JJ Spaun (+5)

The highest-ranked golfer in the field to miss the cut this weekend, Spaun — the current No. 5 player in the world — shot a pair of disappointing rounds with a 74 on Thursday and a 75 on Friday. He made two birdies on the back nine, but it wasn't enough to overcome a five-bogey round.

Nicolai Højgaard (+6)

After finishing T16 in his Masters debut in 2024, Højgaard has now missed the cut for the second-straight year. He entered the tournament with some momentum, finishing second at the Texas Children's Houston Open in his last start. However, he couldn't overcome a 4-over performance in Round 1, shooting 2-over on Friday to miss the cut.

Akshay Bhatia (+6)

Bhatia is a top-25 golfer in the world and already has a tournament win in 2026, but he's heading home from Augusta early after a disastrous second round. Bhatia was just 1-over after Thursday, but he shot 6-over on Friday, finishing with a double bogey that cost him a spot in Round 3.

Bryson DeChambeau (+6)

DeChambeau has turned in top-10 finishes in each of the last two Masters, but he could not overcome a tough Round 1 this week. He shot 4-over in Round 1 before an improved 2-over in Round 2, but it was sullied by an ugly triple bogey on Hole 18, which proved to be the difference.

Robert MacIntyre (+7)

The No. 8 player in the world finished T2 and fourth in his last two starts at the Valero Texas Open and the Players Championship, respectively. However, he struggled in Augusta this week. He shot a solid 1-under on Friday, but it wasn't good enough to overcome an ugly 80 in Round 1 on Thursday.

Min Woo Lee (+11)

Lee finished T3 in his last start, but his Masters performance wasn't nearly good enough to make the cut. He turned in a 6-over Round 1 and a 5-over Round 2 with nine bogeys and two double bogeys across both rounds.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: 2026 Masters: Most surprising missed cuts, including JJ Spaun