Big names stumble at the Rocket Mortgage Classic

Chandler Blanchet knows what it is like to be on the cutline this season.

>The PGA Tour rookie missed the cut at his first five starts this season and had the weekend off at three of his last four starts. He looked to be headed for more of the same at the Rocket Classic in Detroit for the 13th time in 22 starts this season after posting 2-over 72 on Thursday at Detroit Golf Club. But he birdied five holes in a row on the front nine to get to the right side of the cutline only to bogey Nos. 7 and 10 to slip back to 1 under and in danger of packing his bags. No need to book a flight because he drained a 9-foot birdie putt at 13 to give himself a chance and holed out from 32 feet off the green for birdie to shoot 65 and make the cut on the number. That is clutch city.

>Much the same can be said of Tony Finau's comeback. Finau was 3 over on the day after four holes and 1-over for the tournament with 14 holes remaining. All he did was make four birdies and an eagle at 8, bashing a 350-yard drive and holing out from 36 feet, to climb to 5 under and make the cut with room to spare. Mac Meissner finished in style too. Needing a birdie to make the weekend, he stuffed his approach at 18 from 116 yards to 19 inches and tapped in for birdie to finish at 2-under 68 and a guaranteed paycheck. So, too, did Adam Svensson at the par-3 ninth, sinking a 5-foot birdie putt to finish on the right side of the cut list. In all, 73 pros shot a 36-hole total of 3-under 137 or better to stay in the trophy hunt.

>Not everyone was so fortunate. Mackenzie Hughes took three putts from 56 feet at the par-3 ninth, his final hole of the day, to miss by one shot. Here's a closer look at some of the notables who failed to make it to the weekend.

Jake Knapp

>Knapp was a popular pick to win this week but after shooting the course record last year, he must not have liked the restoration. Knapp shot 67-71 to miss by one. He made four bogeys, including at his third-to-last hole, and a double on Friday.

Sudarshan Yellarmaraju

>The Canadian rookie has been one of the real pleasant surprises this season. He entered the week at No. 53 in the FedEx Cup so he’s booked for the first playoff event but he’s hit his first slump. Yellamaraju shot a pair of 69s – not awful – but it marks his fourth missed cut in his last five starts.

Ben Griffin

>Last year’s breakthrough star made par on the first 16 holes on Friday. Then he finished bogey-birdie to shoot even-par 70. Griffin struggled off the tee, hitting just 13 fairways and ranked 138th in SG: Off the Tee in the second round. It’s just the fifth missed cut in 22 starts.

Billy Horschel

>Bogeys at the final two holes is a tough way to miss the cut for Horschel, an eight-time Tour winner. He’s missed the cut in four of his last five cuts and 10 times in 23 starts this season. Horschel, who entered the week at No. 102 in the FedEx Cup, can blame his ball striking. He ranked 144th in SG: Tee to Green, 136th in the field in SG: Approach and was 3 of 8 in scrambling (110th) to negate a good putting day.

Chris Gotterup

>Just the second missed cut of the season for the three-time Tour winner. Gotterup has strung together 14 straight made cuts but was sent packing after rounds of 68-73. Gotterup can blame his drive and short stick for the off week.He found only two of his first eight fairways on Friday, and experienced a bad putting week, losing nearly 3 strokes on the greens (127th). Gotterup ranked first in SG: Off the Tee on Thursday so this is more of an aberration than a reason for concern.

Akshay Bhatia

>One hole did Bhatia in at the Rocket Classic. He hit two foul balls at the par-4 7thand those two penalty strokes led to a triple-bogey 7. It marks Bhatia’s second straight missed cut and seventh in 18 events, which is a pretty high total for someone ranked 12th in the FedEx Cup.

Wyndham Clark

>Clark’s been on a heater, which included a win at the U.S. Open, but his best performance in Detroit this week was throwing out the first pitch at the Tigers game.

>Clark shot 71-74 and missed his second straight cut and just fifth of the season.

>Clark bogeyed three of the final four holes on Thursday to dig himself a hole. Bogeys at Nos. 11 and 12 dropped him to 3 over and a double bogey at 14 left him shooting 4-over for the day. Clark ranked 143rd in SG: Approach on Friday and SG: Tee to Green was even worse (146th).

Aldrich Potgieter

>The Rocket Classic defending champion couldn’t channel any of the magic from his playoff win this time. The long-hitting South African opened in 76 and made two doubles and a triple at the seventh. He’s missed the cut in four of his last five starts and 10 times this season in 19 starts.

Cam DavisThe Aussie makes this list because if there was ever going to be a week for him to bust out of his slump it would be Detroit, where he's won his only two Tour titles. But just more misery this week for Davis. He missed the cut for the 15th time in 19 starts this season and has the weekend off for the ninth time in his last 11 starts.

Brad Dalke

>The YouTube star got in on a sponsor’s exemption but this one didn’t go as well as his turn on the DP World Tour, where he was T-2 heading into this weekend. Dalke called him opening round 81 “nightmare fuel,” and his scorecard indeed was pretty scary. It included a snowman at the par-5 14th and a double at 17 to shoot a first-nine 43.

>Friday, the pressure was off and he shot a more respectable 75 with two doubles but did get revenge on 14, playing it in half as many strokes and making birdie. The stats do tell the ugly story as he was dead last in the field or among the worst in just about every major statistical category. Dalke, until recently a member of the group Good Good, is expected to play in the Good Good Championship in Austin in November on another sponsor’s exemption.

>This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Big names stumble at the Rocket Mortgage Classic