After scoring a birdie on the 10th hole Friday morning, Dustin Johnson appeared to be on the verge of making a significant impact at the U.S. Open this weekend.
However, by the conclusion of the second round, he found himself closer to the cut line than the leaderboard, where he had briefly been soaring earlier.
Finishing at 3-over par, Johnson did qualify alongside five other LIV golfers, but two big names in the league, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, will be heading home from Long Island’s east end earlier than anticipated.
This marks the second time in Rahm’s last 27 major starts that he has missed the cut.
DeChambeau, who is looking to reclaim his U.S. Open title after two years, is now missing the cut in consecutive U.S. Open events and has failed to qualify for three major tournaments in a row.
While neither DeChambeau nor Rahm addressed the media after their rounds, DeChambeau hinted in a prior interview that he might struggle to qualify for all four major tournaments this year.
“It’s just golf,” he remarked.
Johnson seemed poised to emerge as a significant figure for LIV this weekend, only to find himself dropping back after a challenging back nine.
He faced a double bogey on the 11th hole, followed by back-to-back bogeys, and ultimately scored an eight on the par-4 15th, shifting his score from 4 under to 4 over.
“I thought I played pretty well, so it’s disappointing,” he stated post-round. “I had several good putts that just didn’t drop, and although I struck a decent shot on the 11th, the wind was tricky and it didn’t pan out.”
The showing of LIV’s players in the U.S. Open raises concerns about the league’s future as the season wraps up.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund plans to withdraw its financial backing after this season, leaving the golf league in search of new funding sources.
There’s also talk of PIF potentially halting support even earlier than expected.
This uncertainty looms large over the players who have been part of the league since its inception in 2022.
When asked about the stress surrounding the LIV situation as he approached the U.S. Open, Caleb Surratt, who joined LIV Golf in January 2024 and is participating in his first major, indicated it wasn’t a concern.
“It’s really out of my control,” he commented. “I’m a golfer, and I’ll leave the rest to the executives. I believe good golf will help sort things out. My focus is on starting strong in the majors.”
Although Johnson qualified on Friday, his exemption to play in future U.S. Opens expires at the end of this year.
When asked about qualifying next year if he couldn’t through other methods, Johnson replied he would have to “wait and see.”
“It’s a long shot, but yes, I want to keep playing,” Johnson added.
