LA QUINTA, Calif. – As Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler exchanged pleasantries on the first tee Friday before their second round at the American Express, they both looked at the big scoreboard which showed the cut line currently at -3.
They smiled at each other and talked about how they both had work to do to get to that mark.
It was an unusual conversation for the desert’s PGA Tour event. Not because they were talking about the cut, but because they were doing it on a Friday.
This marked the first time in the event’s 62-year history that the cut happened on a Friday. While a 36-hole cut is normal at most PGA tournaments, it’s a novelty at this event, and it is happening this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Normally, this event is played at three courses. Every pro plays one of those courses on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and then the cut is made after 54 holes. This year, as a safety measure, La Quinta Country Club was eliminated from the tournament.
For the record, the cut actually came in at 4-under, and Fowler, who started the day at 1-over, made the cut with a fine 66 on Friday to move to 5-under for the event. Mickelson wound up being one of the notable pros to miss the cut, firing a remarkable round of 72 that featured 18 pars to stay at 2-over for the tournament.
Mickelson is not alone. Several big-name players did not survive to play the weekend:
Patrick Reed
At No. 11 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Reed was the highest-rated player in the field to miss the cut. He shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday, but started his round on Friday with back-to-back bogeys. He reached 4-under again with a couple of birdies, but it all came crashing down with a triple bogey on the 17th hole at the Nicklaus Tournament Course. He finished at 1-under overall.
Brooks Koepka
The No. 12-ranked player in the world was playing this event for the first time, and it looked like he was well on his way to making the cut after birdieing four of his first five holes Friday after an even-par opening round. But his round was derailed with a triple-bogey six on the par-3 13th hole at the Pete Dye Stadium Course. He finished the day and the tournament at 1-under.
Kevin Na
Won the Sony Open last week, but couldn’t continue his momentum. He finished at even par for the tournament and will miss the weekend.
Others missing the cut include former champions Bill Haas (-3), Pat Perez (-3), Jason Dufner (-2), Brian Gay (-2), Hudson Swafford (+3) and Steve Jones (+9).
John Augenstein, the talented college player who was making his PGA debut, did not make it to the weekend. He shot a pair of even-par 72s to fall four strokes short.
The third playing partner in the Mickelson-Fowler group was the highest-ranked player in the field, Patrick Cantlay, who is currently No. 10 in the world ranking. He was one of the players who escaped the cut, qualifying on the number with a 4-under.
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