6 Big Names To Miss The Cut At The Valspar Championship

The first two days of action at the Valspar Championship have produced an intriguing leaderboard, with Ryder Cup stars and experienced names in contention going into the weekend.

Jacob Bridgeman leads at six-under-par, but the likes of Viktor Hovland, Byeong Hun An, Shane Lowry and Xander Schauffele are among the chasing pack at Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead Course.

Hovland, who has been out of form of late, fired a four-under round of 67 on Friday to sit one back of Bridgeman, with the Norwegian making his first cut since the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in January.

Along with the 27-year-old, Lowry continues his good run of form, with the former Open Championship winner four-under for the tournament.

One of the other big names alongside the Irishman is two-time Major winner Schauffele, who made his 60th straight cut on the PGA Tour, following rounds of 70 and 68.

Although there are big names in contention, a number of players who were predicted to have good weeks struggled.

Check out the big names to miss the two-over-par cutline below.

Sam Burns (+3)

A two-time back-to-back winner of the Valspar Championship in 2021 and 2022, Burns failed to make the weekend by a single stroke after firing rounds of 72 and 73.

The Ryder Cup star had been one of the favorites going into the tournament, but Burns would rue two bogeys in his final three holes as he missed a second consecutive cut after also failing to make the weekend at The Players Championship.

Nicolai Hojgaard (+4)

Like Burns, Hojgaard had been one of the favorites coming into the week, but the Dane struggled in Florida, carding a five-over-par round of 76 on Friday to miss the cut by two.

It's a second consecutive missed cut for the 24-year-old, who also failed to get through to the weekend at The Players Championship. At the Valspar Championship, Hojgaard endured a rough final 10 holes that included one birdie, two bogeys and two doubles.

Peter Malnati (+4)

The defending champion won't be present at the weekend, as Malnati couldn't replicate his heroics from 12 months ago that saw him secure a first PGA Tour title in nine years.

Carding back-to-back rounds of 73, Malnati becomes the first defending champion to miss the cut at the following Valspar Championship since John Senden in 2014.

Adam Hadwin (+5)

Another former champion to struggle this week was Hadwin, who fired a five-over-par tournament total to join the list of players who failed to make the weekend at the Copperhead Course.

The 2017 champion carded rounds of 71 and 76 to miss the weekend by three strokes, with the missed cut his third in four events, as Hadwin missed the cut at The Players Championship and Genesis Invitational.

Jake Knapp (+9)

Knapp's recent run of good results came to an end at the Valspar Championship, with the American finishing his week well back of the two-over-par cutline.

Coming into the week, Knapp had made four straight top 25 finishes, but rounds of 74 and 77 meant a first missed cut since The American Express at the start of January.

Rasmus Hojgaard (+12)

Like his twin, Rasmus also struggled at the Valspar Championship, as the 24-year-old carded rounds of 76 and 78 to finish at 12-over-par in Florida.

The missed cut is his third in four events, after also missing the weekend at The Players Championship and Genesis Invitational.