Nine Major Stars Fail to Make the Weekend at the Open de España
Several of the DP World Tour’s biggest names failed to make the weekend at the Open de Espana in Madrid, and Patrick Reed could now lose his top spot in the Race to Dubai standings. With the season nearing its final stretch, the field at Real Club de Campo Villa de Madrid included a stellar line-up, and a PGA Tour card for 2027 is also up for grabs.
The tournament offers more than a national open title. Places in the season-ending playoffs are also at stake, which made the early exits especially costly for some players.
Here are the big names who missed the cut at the Open de Espana.
Patrick Reed (+2)
Patrick Reed was looking to extend his lead over Rory McIlroy in the Race to Dubai standings with a strong finish in Madrid. Missing the cut, however, means he could now be overtaken at the top. Eugenio Chacarra, despite a broken toe, is challenging for the national title in his own backyard. Only a victory will be enough for the Spaniard to overtake Reed, but a second or third-place finish would be enough to overhaul McIlroy and move into second.
For Reed, who is recovering from the injury that forced him out of the BMW PGA Championship, it is another week without points. He will hope to get back on track ahead of what promises to be a nervous battle down the stretch. He improved on Friday with a level-par round of 71, but his opening 73 on Thursday cost him, and he missed out by a single stroke.
Justin Rose (+2)
Justin Rose finished T18 at the Tour Championship on the PGA Tour, but his return to Europe has not gone as well. He finished T51 at the BMW PGA Championship and then missed the third-round cut at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Shooting 72-72 for a two-over total, he now has back-to-back missed cuts and narrowly missed the weekend by one shot.
Jayden Schaper (+2)
Jayden Schaper has seen his strong start to the season fade. The South African missed his second cut in a row and his third in four starts. He won back-to-back tournaments at the start of the season, at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Mauritius Open, and a T36 at Wentworth has been his only notable result since. He entered the week seventh in the Race to Dubai, but after rounds of 73 and 71, he also just missed the weekend.
Bubba Watson (+3)
Bubba Watson‘s debut in the tournament did not go to plan. He opened with a four-over round of 75 on Thursday, which left him with an uphill battle from the start. The two-time Masters champion improved to a one-under 70 on Friday but still finished a couple of shots short of the cut. Watson also missed the cut the previous week at the Dunhill Links.
Tom McKibbin (+3)
Tom McKibbin had found good form on the DP World Tour, finishing T6 and T5 at the British Masters and Irish Open in successive weeks. That form has deserted him. The Northern Irishman has now missed the cut in his last two events, after also failing to make the weekend at Wentworth.
Nicolai Hojgaard (+4)
A hole-in-one on Friday could not save Nicolai Hojgaard, whose poor run continued with a fourth consecutive missed cut on the DP World Tour. He was wayward during his opening 74, and although he recorded the ace on the third hole, he could not break par on Friday and finished at four over. Hojgaard started the week 100th in the Race to Dubai standings, so he faces a huge task to reach the season-ending playoffs.
Adrian Meronk (+5)
Last week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship winner, Adrian Meronk, appeared to carry a hangover into Spain. An opening 72 was respectable, but he could not get anything going on Friday, and a 75 led to a missed cut the week after his victory. It shows how difficult it is to win on tour.
Tyrrell Hatton (+6)
With Jon Rahm making headlines by quitting LIV Golf, his Legion XIII teammate Tyrrell Hatton may follow suit. For now, Hatton is focused on the DP World Tour, but Spain did not go well. An opening 76 on Thursday did the damage, and despite an improved 72 on Friday, he was nowhere near the cut mark. It is now back-to-back missed cuts for the Englishman.
Andy Sullivan (+9)
Former Ryder Cup player Andy Sullivan was ninth in the Race to Dubai heading to Spain, despite withdrawing from the French Open on his previous start. He made a poor return to action in Madrid, opening with a 78. His 73 on Friday offered only slight improvement.