Several big names have failed to make the weekend at the Open de Espana in Madrid, including Patrick Reed, Justin Rose and Jayden Schaper, who all missed the cut at Real Club de Campo Villa de Madrid. With the DP World Tour season nearing its final stretch, the early exits matter for the Race to Dubai standings, the season-ending play-offs and a PGA Tour card for 2027.
The field remains strong, and the tournament offers more than a national open title. Places in the season-ending play-offs are at stake, and so is a PGA Tour card for 2027. For some of the tour’s leading players, though, the week ended early. Here are the notable names who missed the cut.
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 could now see him knocked off top spot. Spaniard Eugenio Chacarra, playing with a broken toe, is challenging for the national open in his own backyard. Only a victory will be enough for Chacarra to overtake Reed, but a second or third place would be enough to overhaul McIlroy and move into second.
Reed is recovering from the injury that forced him out of the BMW PGA Championship, so this was another week without points. He improved on Friday with a level-par 71, but his opening 73 on Thursday cost him, and he missed the weekend 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 to plan. He finished T51 at the BMW PGA Championship and then missed the third-round cut at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
The Englishman has now missed back-to-back cuts. He shot 72-72 for a two-over total, agonisingly missing the weekend by just one shot.
Jayden Schaper (+2)
After a stunning start to the season, Jayden Schaper’s form has tailed off. The South African has 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, the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Mauritius Open, and only a T36 at Wentworth has kept him going of late.
Schaper entered the week seventh in the Race to Dubai, but he shot 73-71 and was another player to narrowly miss the weekend.
Bubba Watson (+3)
Bubba Watson’s debut in the tournament did not go as planned. He opened with a four-over 75 on Thursday, which left him with an uphill battle from the start. The two-time Masters champion improved to one under, shooting 70 on Friday, but he was still a couple of shots short of the cut. Watson also missed the cut last 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 the 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. It was his fourth missed cut in a row on the DP World Tour. He was wayward during an opening 74, and despite 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 play-offs.
Adrian Meronk (+5)
Last week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship winner, Adrian Meronk, struggled in Spain, which was no real surprise. He opened with a 72, but a 75 on Friday condemned him to a missed cut the week after tasting victory. It shows how tough it is to win on tour.
Tyrrell Hatton (+6)
Jon Rahm has made headlines by quitting LIV Golf, and 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 for him. An opening 76 on Thursday did the damage, and although he improved to 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 last start. He made a horror start on his return in Madrid, opening with a 78. His 73 on Friday offered a slight improvement but was not enough to make the weekend.