Josh Berhow
Rickie Fowler didn’t advance out of a playoff at the Columbus qualifier.
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Dreams have been fulfilled — and dashed — at U.S. Open final qualifying over the last 24 hours.
A 17-year-old high school junior and a dentist were among those who punched their U.S. Open tickets, although several household names weren’t so lucky.
Take Max Homa, for instance, who needed to two-putt for birdie from 25 feet on his 36th (and last) hole of his qualifier to secure a spot at next week’s U.S. Open at Oakmont. Instead, he three-putted, lost a playoff to Cameron Young and then lost another playoff that would have made him an alternate.
The U.S. Open will likely be Homa’s first missed major in six years, but he was just one of several marquee names who failed to qualify Monday. And while some players, like Homa, still have a slim chance — the top 60 in the OWGR following this week’s RBC Canadian Open still get invites — here are a handful of notable names who failed to advance through final qualifying, likely ending their 2025 U.S. Open hopes.
10 players you (likely) won’t see at Oakmont
Luke Clanton
Clanton, 21, actually earned an exemption into the U.S. Open by winning the 2024 Mark H. McCormack Medal as the world’s top amateur, but he forfeited that invite when he turned pro at this week’s RBC Canadian Open, where he’ll make his professional debut. Clanton won four tournaments as a Florida State junior this year, and he’s now about to start what many believe will be a promising professional career.
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Rickie Fowler
The good news? Fowler tied for 7th at the Memorial on Sunday, which earned him a spot in this year’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush. He’s had a solid season and has finished top 20 in three of his last four starts, although he still had to qualify for this year’s national championship. He shot 70-69 in Columbus and, like Homa, lost in a playoff for the sixth and final qualifying spot, then lost again in a playoff for the alternate spots (secured by Chase Johnson and Eric Cole). Fowler played every major in 2024, although this will be his second missed major of the season (he also missed the Masters).
Sergio Garcia
Garcia was actually entered in one of the few final qualifiers that didn’t take place on Monday, but he three-putted for bogey on the 36th hole of his Dallas, Texas, qualifier on May 19, which left him a stroke out of a playoff for the final spot. While there’s still a chance the USGA could offer him a special exemption into the field, it looks like Garcia’s impressive streak of 25 consecutive U.S. Open appearances will come to an end.
Adam Hadwin
Hadwin shot 72-71 to finish four spots out of a playoff in Columbus, and he’ll miss his second major of the year (along with the Masters) after he played in all four last season.
Padraig Harrington
Harrington, the three-time major winner, shot 74-66 to finish a shot out of a playoff at the competitive Columbus qualifier, which means he’ll miss the Open for the second straight season.
Nicolai Hojgaard
One half of the Hojgaard twins, Nicolai, was among those who had to finish their second round at Emerald Dunes in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Tuesday after Monday’s round was suspended due to weather. Hojgaard shot 66-70 and finished two strokes shy of a playoff. The 24-year-old pro had played in the last seven majors.
Max Homa
Homa shot 69-70 to finish five under in Columbus, which will end his streak of 21 straight majors played. Earlier this year he tied for 60th at the PGA and tied for 12th at the Masters. In his five U.S. Open starts, he missed the cut in four of them.
Zach Johnson
The former Masters and Open Championship winner put together two solid rounds in Atlanta (69-67) but still finished three shots out of the last of five qualifying spots. While he tied for 8th at the Masters in April, he hasn’t played a U.S. Open since 2021.
Jake Knapp
Knapp won the Mexico Open in February 2024 — and also teamed with Patty Tavatanakit to win the Grant Thornton Invitational in December, for good measure — but wasn’t exempt into the national championship. He shot 72-71 in Columbus.
Keith Mitchell
Mitchell’s had a good year on Tour (seven top 25s and only two missed cuts) and is ranked 89th in the World Ranking and 54th in the FedEx Cup, but he still needed to go through qualifying to get to Oakmont. He shot 72-68 in the final qualifier held in Canada. Two years ago he tied for 20th at the U.S. Open at LACC.
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Josh Berhow
Golf.com Editor
As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of the sport’s most-read news and service websites. He spends most of his days writing, editing, planning and wondering if he’ll ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he resides in the Twin Cities with his wife and two kids. You can reach him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.