LIV Golf stars Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm missed the cut in Round 2 of the PGA Championship after a difficult finish on Friday at Valhalla.
The six-time major championships winner, 53, opened with 74 before following with a one-over 72 - ending four-over par and spelling the end of his short-lived PGA Championship appearance.
Mickelson has acknowledged that he's in the twilight years of his career, with the American also failing to make a splash in the breakaway Saudi tour, LIV Golf, where he sits 39th in the individual standings. Spaniard Rahm, meanwhile, has not won a tournament since the Masters last year and he hasn't looked his usual self since joining Mickelson, and other big-name golfers, in LIV Golf.
However, LIV Golf is still heavily represented as the PGA Championship continues, with 11 golfers making the cut, including Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Dean Burmester, Talor Gooch, Tyrrell Hatton, Lucas Herbert, Martin Kaymer, Brooks Koepka, Joaquin Niemann, Patrick Reed, and Cameron Smith, who'll all be in action over the weekend. Mirror Sport takes a look at five LIV Golf stars who missed the cut at Valhalla on Friday.
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Phil Mickelson
Mickelson finished four-over par, ending his PGA Championship early. "I’m 53 now and my career, you know, if I’m being truthful it’s toward its end, while also making a telling remark about his potential next steps, saying: Now, I would like to help others find the same enjoyment and fulfillment that the game of golf has provided me," Mickelson told Bloomberg earlier this month.
Jon Rahm
A frustrating Friday for Rahm, who is one of the latest big golf names to jump ship from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf. Rahm placed himself at T80 with scores of 70-72 at an overall even par. "Surprised,” Rahm said of his two rounds. “Surprised because of how I felt like I was hitting it in Australia and Singapore and in the week off before coming here, especially off the tee, hitting great drives – and that's what's been my downfall. I just couldn't find a fairway off the tee. You can make birdies off the fairway, but off the rough, it's a tough golf course to score on and that's kind of what happened to me."
He added: "I was just hoping to get one more and clear myself. But yeah, when you're playing bad you kind need the extra motivation some kind of way. It was on my mind and the swing wasn't quite there, but with the putter, I felt comfortable. I was just begging to give myself some kind of a chance and I could never give myself anything on the last three holes. I think it was 25 feet. 25 feet and 60 feet, which I've been less nervous over some putts at distance in my career, that's for sure.”
Jon Rahm's woes since joining LIV Golf continued (Getty)Adrian Meronk
The 2023 DP World Player of the Year finished 91st place with numbers 74–69 and a Friday score of 69 (-2). Adrian Meronk will be bitterly disappointed considering his good form in LIV Golf. He scored three top-10 finishes in his first seven starts.
Andy Ogletree
The 26-year-old could only card a +5 score on his Friday round after bogeying the par-4, 6th hole in the back nine, and even three birdies on his final three holes will not be enough to see him make the cut.
David Puig
The 22-year-old Spaniard, David Puig, finished T108 with a score of 3-over par as a result of the 72-73. Puig's PGA Championship debut failed to live up to expectations after securing seven top-10 finishes, including two victories, along with three top 15s in ten non-LIV Golf starts.
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