The Masters has the smallest field of all four men’s Majors, with just 91 teeing it up at the start of the week.
At the halfway stage, that has been reduced by 37, leaving 54 to progress to the weekend.
For the second consecutive day at Augusta National, the weather was warm and dry with plenty of sunshine as players sought to finish above the cut line, which was set at four over.
Safely into the third round are some of the pre-tournament favourites, including defending champion Rory McIlroy, the man he beat in a playoff a year ago, Justin Rose, two-time winner Scottie Scheffler and 2023 champion Jon Rahm.
Other stars preparing for the third round include 2018 winner Patrick Reed, 2015 champion Jordan Spieth, FedEx Cup winner Tommy Fleetwood and Cameron Young, who won The Players Championship in March.
As benign as Augusta National can look, swathed in the Georgia sunshine, it can still make even the world's best come a cropper, as several other stars found to their cost over the first 36 holes of The Masters.
Here are the big names who missed the cut at the 2026 Masters.
JJ Spaun: +5 (74, 75)
After winning the Valero Texas Open just four days before the opening round of The Masters, JJ Spaun would have been confident ahead of his third appearance. It didn't work out that way, though.
The US Open champion, who finished T23 in 2022 and 50th last year, got off to a poor start with a bogey on the opening hole.
By the end of the first round, he was two over – not incredible, but certainly not among the worst performers in the field.
However, needing at least the same again on Friday to make the cut, he instead performed slightly worse, making five bogeys and two birdies on the way to a three-over 75 to miss out by one.
Akshay Bhatia: +6 (73, 77)
The Arnold Palmer Invitational winner wouldn't have been too concerned after a one-over 73 on Thursday, but by the time his second round was drawing to a close, his place in the weekend looked in jeopardy.
After falling one beneath the cut line with a bogey at the 16th, Bhatia found himself in trouble in a greenside bunker at the 17th. He then did the hard work, getting out of jail with a brilliant birdie from the bunker to move back above the cut line.
He couldn't stay there, though, with a double at the 18th seeing him finish on six-over.
Bryson DeChambeau: +6 (76, 74)
If Bhatia's exit was a surprise, it was nothing compared to the shock of seeing Bryson DeChambeau miss the cut.
He came into the event after back-to-back wins on LIV Golf and as one of the tournament favorites.
DeChambeau, who placed T5 and T6 in the last two editions, didn't cover himself in glory on Thursday with some wayward iron play resulting in a four-over 76.
However, for much of the second round, he seemed to have done enough only for a disastrous triple bogey on the 18th to move him two beneath the cut line and out of the tournament.
Cameron Smith: +7 (74, 77)
The LIV Golfer's alarming run of consecutive missed cuts at Majors extended to six after a second round of 77 at Augusta National.
Smith began the day in a reasonable enough position, two over and looking to build on his overall excellent Masters record, which has seen him finish in the top 10 five times.
However, on Friday, Smith was two over by the turn, and it got even worse on the back nine, where he made two bogeys and a double to miss the cut by three on seven over.
That leaves him a month and a couple of LIV Golf events to try and iron out his problems before his next chance to end his poor run in recent Majors at the PGA Championship.
Robert MacIntyre: +7 (80, 71)
One of three players Spaun beat by one at TPC San Antonio a week ago was Robert MacIntyre. While narrowly missing out naturally left the Scot disappointed, all the signs pointed towards a solid week at Augusta National.
After all, he led for long periods of that event, while he has a good record in Majors, with five top-10s.
One nagging doubt was that The Masters is the only Major where he has yet to finish that high up the leaderboard, with a T12 five years ago his best performance.
MacIntyre was one under after his first four holes, but that was as good as it got. He suffered a nightmare at the par-5 15th on Thursday, with a quadruple bogey after finding the water twice on his way to an eight-over 80.
Later, MacIntyre was “reprimanded” by the Masters Committee after slamming his club down twice and gesturing with his middle finger at the 15th.
His mood won’t have been improved with a double-bogey at the first in his second round. He rallied from there, but ultimately finished on seven over to bring an end to his challenge after a frustrating two days.
Min Woo Lee: +11 (78, 77)
Min Woo Lee headed to his fifth consecutive Masters off the back of some excellent form, including three top 10 finishes since February.
His final event before turning his attention to the Major resulted in a T3 at the Texas Children's Houston Open, but there was no sign of that form at Augusta National.
Lee was up against it after a six-over opening round of 78 that included a double bogey at the 13th.
He was still in it heading to the back nine of his second round, but a dreadful run between the 12th and the 15th, when he went five over, meant he slumped to 11 over for the tournament and an early exit.
How All Six Amateurs In The Field Performed
There won't be a Masters low amateur in 2026 after all six in the field missed the cut.
Of the half dozen, Ethan Fang, who won The Amateur, and US Amateur runner-up Jackson Herrington fared the best, with both finishing eight over par.
Fang was just two over after the first round and eyeing up an extra two days. However, that ambition soon turned sour with a bogey followed by a double to begin his second round, eventually finishing with a six-over 78.
Herrington confidently said he was "aiming to win the tournament" beforehand, but he was up against it after a first round of 76 that included a double at the sixth. In the second round, he matched the score to leave with his head held high, but early.
Finishing on nine-over was the player who beat Herrington at the US Amateur, Mason Howell. He was grouped with defending champion Rory McIlroy in the first two rounds, but while McIlroy remained on course to claim back-to-back titles, Howell struggled at times.
He shot a five over 77 in the first round with a 76 in the second round to leave Augusta National early, too.
Thai player Fifa Laopakdee came from six shots behind to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and earn his Masters spot, but there were no similar heroics at Augusta National, with rounds of 80 and 75 as he went 11 over for the tournament.
Mateo Pulcini earned his spot by winning the 2025 Latin American Amateur, but the Argentinian found it tough going at The Masters, following a round of 81 on Thursday with a 78 on Friday for 15 over.
Joining him on that score is US Mid-Amateur champion Brandon Holtz, who also carded rounds of 81 and 78 to bow out early.
