Day two of the 2026 Texas Children’s Houston Open came to a close and the with some surprises at the cut line. With the Masters just two weeks away, and limited opportunities left to qualify, the pressure is mounting for those who hope to tee it up at Augusta National.
Defending champion Min Woo Lee made one of the biggest moves of the day, climbing 29 spots on the leaderboard to sit in solo second heading into the weekend. His strong round puts him firmly in contention as he looks to defend his title. Meanwhile, Gary Woodland holds the top spot, carrying a three-shot lead into Saturday’s third round.
A win for Woodland would be especially meaningful. The former U.S. Open champion has not captured a victory in nearly seven years and has faced significant health challenges since, including brain surgery to remove a tumor and dealing with PTSD following the procedure. Now back in contention, Woodland has a chance to complete an inspiring comeback story.
Notable Names to Miss the Cut
The cut line ultimately settled at 2-under par, leaving several high-profile players on the outside.
Brooks Koepka was unable to carry momentum from earlier performances. After opening with a 5-over round on Thursday, he struggled to recover and missed out on weekend play. It marks another inconsistent showing as he continues to find his place back on the PGA Tour.
Another notable absence from the weekend includes Rickie Fowler. The 37-year-old is attempting to work his way back to the Masters and needed a strong finish to improve his standing in the world rankings. Without a high placement this week, his path to Augusta becomes increasingly difficult, with a top-50 ranking appearing to be his most realistic route.
Who Else Didn’t Make the Cut
The group of players who failed to reach the weekend include:
- Marco Penge -1
- Nicolas Dunlap -1
- Kevin Yu -1
- Hank Lebioda -1
- Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen -1
- Will Zalatoris -1
- Adam Svensson -1
- Joe Highsmith -1
- J. T. Poston -1
- Taylor Moore -1
- Mackenzie Hughes -1
- Cole Hammer -1
- Mason Howell -1
- Doug Ghim E
- Rickie Fowler E
- Ryan Gerard E
- Séamus Power E
- Billy Horschel E
- Davis Thompson E
- Charley Hoffman E
- Li Haotong E
- Neal Shipley E
- Nicolas Echavarria +1
- Aaron Wise +1
- Patrick Fishburn +1
- Mark Hubbard +1
- Lee Kyoung-hoon +1
- Christo Lamprecht +1
- Wyndham Clark +2
- Dylan Wu +2
- Daniel Brown +2
- Alejandro Tosti +2
- Isaiah Salinda +2
- Davis Chatfield +2
- AJ Ewart +2
- David Ford +2
- Ryan Fox +3
- Adam Schenk +3
- Zachary Bauchou +3
- Gordon Sargent +3
- Max Greyserman +4
- Kristoffer Reitan +4
- Trey Mullinax +4
- Brooks Koepka +4
- Patrick Rodgers +4
- Patton Kizzire +4
- Kristoffer Ventura +4
- Kensei Hirata +4
- John VanDerLaan +4
- Brian Campbell +5
- David Lipsky +5
- Cade Russell +5
- Rafael Campos +5
- Kim Seong-hyeon +6
- Taylor Pendrith +7
- Chandler Phillips +7
- Chandler Blanchet +7
- Lucas Glover +10
- Justin Lower +13
Even-par finishers included Doug Ghim, Rickie Fowler, Ryan Gerard, Séamus Power, Billy Horschel, Davis Thompson, Charley Hoffman, Li Haotong, and Neal Shipley.
Notable names finishing over par included Wyndham Clark (+2), Ryan Fox (+3), Max Greyserman (+4), and Lucas Glover (+10), among many others.
Third Round of Texas Children’s Houston Open
The third round of the Texas Children’s Houston Open is set to begin Saturday, March 28. Woodland will tee off at 12:55 p.m. ET alongside Nicolai Højgaard and Jackson Suber, as he looks to maintain his lead.
Fans can catch coverage on Golf Channel from 1–3 p.m. ET, followed by NBC from 3–6 p.m. ET. Early streaming coverage will be available on ESPN beginning at 8:15 a.m. ET, including featured groups and exclusive coverage throughout the day.
Texas Children’s Houston Open Cut Line: Big Names Out as Woodland Leads