Who made the cut at the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic? What big names won’t be playing this weekend?

In Friday’s round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club, Taylor Pendrith, last year’s runner-up, surged to a tie for first place with Taylor Moore, both at 13-under par. Pendrith achieved this remarkable position by posting an impressive 8-under par 64.

Trailing closely behind at 12-under par are five-time PGA Tour winner Rickie Fowler and newcomer Ludvig Aberg. They are followed by four players at 11-under, including the talented Collin Morikawa, who is aiming for his first victory since 2021.

Big names who missed the cut

Unfortunately, some notable players failed to meet the cut, including two-time major winner Justin Thomas and the defending champion Tony Finau.

Other notable players expected to perform better but fell short of qualifying for the weekend were Austin Eckroat, Tom Hoge, Joel Dahmen, Harry Hall, Joseph Bramlett, Brandon Wu, Webb Simpson, Ben An, and Mark Hubbard.

Let’s take a closer at the performance of some of the more notable players to miss the cut:

Justin Thomas

At 30 years old, Thomas has now missed three cuts in his last four events. Despite a promising top-10 finish at the Travelers Championship the previous week, he struggled with an opening round of 76 (4-over par), which ultimately hindered his chances. Although he managed to bounce back with a 3-under 69 on Friday, he still fell short of the cut line by five strokes.

Tony Finau

The 33-year-old who secured a convincing victory in last year’s event with a five-stroke lead and a score of 26-under par, experienced a contrasting performance this time. Finau posted an even-par 72 on day one, followed by a 1-under 71 on Friday, missing the cut by three shots. The golfer from Salt Lake City has now missed two cuts in his last four events and has not finished within the top 20 since winning the Mexico Open in April.

Hideki Matsuyama

The 2020 Masters winner had been on a solid streak, making eight consecutive cuts and securing five top-20 finishes leading up to the event. However, an opening round of 75 dented his chances, and despite a strong rebound with a four-under 68 on Friday, Matsuyama fell three strokes short of making the cut.

The players who made the cut

On the other hand, 84 players out of the initial field of 156 managed to make the cut and continue their participation in the tournament.

Here is a list of the notable players who made the cut: