Most notable cuts at the 2023 U.S. Open

The U.S. Open wasn't as friendly to golfers on Friday but scores were still low enough to set the cut line at a relatively low two-over-par heading into the weekend.

Over the past five U.S. Opens, the average cut line was 4.4-strokes over par. Some big names failed to make the cut, not taking advantage of the conditions that allowed others to get off to stronger starts.

Max Homa

So much for Homa's course record of 61 in 2013 playing a role a decade later. However, his failure to make the cut is shocking for more current reasons. Homa shot two-under 68 on Thursday, positioning himself for an extended stay at the Los Angeles Country Club. But Friday was a different story as Homa shot six-over 76, tied for 136th among golfers at the venue that day.

Phil Mickelson

Mickelson didn't have the greatest 53rd birthday after failing to make the cut by a stroke. Like Homa, he wasted a promising start after being one of 37 players to shoot under par in the opening round. His second day at LACC featured five bogeys and one double-bogey, putting an end to his attempt at his first U.S. Open win.

Justin Rose

Prior to the tournament, Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open winner, was tied with the likes of Rickie Fowler, Cameron Young and Tommy Fleetwood at +5000 to win this year's event. Unlike the latter three, Rose isn't advancing to the weekend. 

He had top-10 finishes (-13) at the RBC Canadien Open last weekend and at the PGA Championship (-1) in May, making his absence this weekend a bit of a surprise. Unfortunately, it fits his recent track record at the U.S. Open. This marks the third time in the past four years that Rose failed to make the cut.

Jordan Spieth

Spieth entered the week in the top ten among golfers with the best odds of winning the U.S. Open at +2500 but could never find his groove in the first two rounds. He missed the cut by one stroke and was uneven on Friday. He offset his four birdies with five bogeys as he shot a 71, which was actually an improvement on his two-over 72 from Thursday. Three-over-par would have been good enough to make the cut in plenty of other years but Spieth fell victim to the lower scores from those around him. 

Justin Thomas

Thomas shared a photo on Instagram before the tournament alongside Fowler with the two sharing a tandem bicycle, noting his wish to pair with his longtime pal later in the week. They'll have to link up outside the golf course, perhaps for a celebratory drink at the end of the weekend. That's because Rose apparently wasn't playing the same course where Fowler set a Majors record. 

Thomas followed a three-over 73 on Thursday with an ugly 11-over 81 on Friday. Only three golfers finished with higher scores than his 14-over 154 during the first two rounds.

"It's a funny game, man," said Thomas after his round. "But it sucks right now."