This year, 13 venues across four countries played host to hundreds of players looking to come through Final Qualifying for the 126th US Open at Shinnecock Hills, with several spots available at each.
As always, there were a number of household names involved. While some of them made it through – including several LIV Golf stars and a former US Open champion – with only 43 spots up for grabs across the sites, there was bound to be some heartache.
And before you all start thumbing into Facebook thinking you’re the first person to comment about how these aren’t all “big names”, we’ve picked these people for a reason. They might be major champs or multiple PGA Tour winners, players having a good season, genuine legends, or – in one case, at least – a big name’s son.
It’s all a bit of fun, and life’s too short. So shall we get into it?
40 big names who failed at US Open Final Qualifying
These players, for one reason or another, will not be taking part at the US Open…
Byeong Hun An (NR)
Made the move to LIV Golf in January to captain the brand new Korean Golf Club team, who are currently rock bottom of LIV’s team standings. Carded an opening-round 69 in Dallas before presumably unraveling in the afternoon.
Abraham Ancer (-1)
Currently 15th in the LIV standings, Ancer has played in four US Opens and never finished better than T49. And he won’t get a chance to better that after rounds of 70-71 in Dallas.
Shane Bacon (+15)
You’ll know Bacon as a prominent broadcaster and podcast host in the US. He’s also a highly-rated amateur, and credit where it’s due for sticking it out at Century Country Club in New York, where he carded rounds of 80 and 77.
Josele Ballester (-2)
One of LIV’s Spanish young guns, Ballester booked a spot at last year’s Masters and US Open thanks to his US Amateur win in 2024. He missed the cut at both. Rounds of 68-72 saw him miss out on the playoff by one.
Michael Block (+1)
The Block Party will remain strictly a PGA Championship affair after the American missed out by five shots in California.
Eugenio Chacarra (-3)
The Spaniard bizarrely withdrew from a 6-for-1 playoff in Dallas so he could catch a flight back. He later explained to TG‘s Ben Parsons why he did it. It paid off, too, with victory at the KLM Open.
Cameron Champ (WD)
The big-hitting American raced to three PGA Tour wins and had top-10s at the Masters and PGA Championship before falling off a cliff. The World No. 319 WD after an opening 73 in Dallas.
Joel Dahmen (-1)
The Netflix star was in good shape after an opening 68, but it all went wrong in the afternoon at the Dallas Athletic Club, where the Gold course was clearly playing much harder.
Thomas Detry (-10)
The Belgian, who joined Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces team in January, was in pole position to take the automatic qualification spot offered to LIV Golf before Lucas Herbert snatched it with victory in Virginia. He was cruelly denied at Walton Heath, too, where he was edged out in a playoff after rounds of 68-66.
Jason Dufner (-4)
You needed to shoot double figures under par at Hawks Ridge and the five-time PGA Tour winner and 2013 PGA champ was unable to get there.
Nick Dunlap (E)
A little more than two years has passed since Dunlap became the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991. He added a second as a pro a few months later to move to No. 30 in the world. He’s not far away from adding a zero to that number. His major record to date reads eight appearances, including four at the US Open, and eight missed cuts. He won’t get the chance to add to that after rounds of 70-72 in Dallas.
Tony Finau (-5)
An opening-round 65 had Big Milton well in contention at Springfield CC, but an afternoon 70 saw him miss the alternates playoff by a single shot. Still, our resident tipster has high hopes at the Canadian Open.
Sergio Garcia (-1)
Garcia missed out in Final Qualifying last year to end a 25-year run of appearances at the US Open – a tournament that has yielded five of the Spaniard’s 23 top-10 finishes. And he’s missed out here, too, despite a spirited 68 in the afternoon round in Dallas.
Lucas Glover (-5)
Unlike the other majors, winning the US Open only gets you in for the next 10 years. It was a good effort from the 2009 champ at Westerville.
Branden Grace (-1)
The South African had three top-10 finishes at the US Open before signing for LIV in 2022 and effectively ending his major career. That absence will continue after rounds of 72-69.
Bill Haas (-5)
The six-time PGA Tour champ was in second place after 18 holes thanks to a 63 in the morning round at Gaston CC, but the 44-year-old – who has a US Open top-5 on his resumé – couldn’t get the job done.
Garrick Higgo (WD)
Made headlines for a rules blunder at the PGA Championship, but the South African will not be heading to the US Open after an opening-round 74 in Canada.
Joe Highsmith (-1)
The left-hander burst onto the scene last year with victory at the Cognizant Classic and a top-10 at the PGA Championship, but has fallen away somewhat since. Rounds of 71-68 were not nearly enough in Canada.
Max Homa (-6)
The six-time PGA Tour champion bogeyed the first extra hole in an 8-for-3 playoff in Canada.
Sam Horsfield (+1)
Horsfield, who plays for Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood’s Majesticks on LIV Golf, has a rotten major record, which includes a T49, T67, and nine missed cuts – including all four attempts at the US Open. His last attempt to get into a major via FQ ended in a DQ, so credit to him for finishing the job at Walton Heath, despite being 11 shots off the pace.
Ryo Ishikawa (-5)
Remember when this guy was the hottest property in golf? The former Japanese wunderkind is now ranked outside the top 300 and splits his time between the Korn Ferry and Japan Tours.
Matt Kuchar (-3)
A good effort from the nine-time PGA Tour champion, but ultimately fell three short in Florida.
Michael La Sasso (+9)
The American, who turned pro in January to join Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers at LIV Golf, isn’t having the best start to life in the paid ranks. And rounds of 72-79 heres saw him finish 12 shots off the pace.
Thriston Lawrence (-3)
The five-time DP World Tour winner just missed out on an automatic qualification when he finished T12 at Oakmont last year, and rounds of 70-71 at Walton Heath mean he won’t be going back.
Matteo Manessero (+1)
The Italian was the hottest golfer on the planet in his late teens when he raced to four DP World Tour wins, including the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. But then his game fell off a cliff, and he didn’t play in a single major between the 2016 Open and ’24 US Open. Looked in good nick at Walton Heath after an opening 70 before an afternoon 75 derailed him.
Denny McCarthy (-5)
No player has made more money on the PGA Tour without winning a title than the American, and he’ll have to break that run at this week’s Canadian Open if he wants to get into Shinnecock. Still, it was a solid effort at Westerville.
Edoardo Molinari (-1)
Better known now as Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup data guru, but Dodo has had an uncanny habit of qualifying for the US Open of late – though he did miss the cut in both 2024 and ’25. It wasn’t to be a third straight appearance, though, after rounds of 70-73 at Walton Heath.
Sebastian Munoz (WD)
The Colombian is ticking along nicely on LIV Golf this season, and a 66 put him well in contention for a spot at the US Open. He withdrew during the second round, though.
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (DNF)
The Dane was incredibly unlucky to miss out on automatic qualification for this year’s US Open. Last year at Oakmont, he finished in a tie for 12th, with the top-10 receiving invites for the following year. Carded an opening 74 in Dallas before pulling out during the second round.
Geoff Ogilvy (E)
The 2006 US Open champ put up a good fight with an opening 69 before an afternoon 73 saw him miss out by four at Del Paso.
Thorbjorn Olesen (DNF)
Thunder Bear has five US Open appearances on his CV and has missed the cut in them all. And he won’t get the chance to improve on that after flopping in Canada.
Victor Perez (-5)
The DP World Tour star turned down his PGA Tour card last year to join Martin Kaymer’s Cleeks team on LIV Golf. His US Open record reads MC-MC-MC-MC-MC-T19, and he can now add a DNP to that after missing out on the Walton Heath playoff by a single shot.
Aldrich Potgeiter (-7)
The big-hitting South African has made quite the name for himself on the PGA Tour, but he was four shots off the pace at Hawks Ridge.
Luke Poulter (WD)
OK, this one’s cheating a bit, but he’s Ian Poulter’s son and that has to count for something. Doesn’t matter anyway, because he hot-footed it out of Ballen Isles CC after an opening 75.
Davis Riley (-1)
The two-time PGA Tour winner was in contention after an opening 68 in Canada, but he couldn’t get the job done.
Webb Simpson (DNF)
The 2012 US Open champ jumped in his car after an opening-round 70 at Gaston in North Carolina.
Brendan Steele (WD)
Another player who gave up his major career to join LIV, Steele has a peculiar US Open record, which reads MC-T15-T13-63-MC. He can add a Final Qualifying WD to that after an opening-round 70 had him nicely placed.
Cameron Tringale (E)
Steele’s HyFlyers teammate carded rounds of 71-71 and he won’t get the chance to add to his T14 at the 2022 US Open.
Harold Varner III (+3)
One of the few players happy to admit they were joining LIV to swell their bank balance, but it also came at a cost and the American has not played in a major since 2023. He won’t play in this year’s US Open, either, after rounds of 72-73 in Dallas.
Camilo Villegas (WD)
The popular Colombian withdrew midway through the opening round in Canada.