It’s a big week on the DP World Tour with the start of the 2026 season getting underway at the Australian PGA Championship.
The strong field is headlined by the likes of Adam Scott, Cameron Smith and Min Woo Lee – but there have been some high-profile casualties after two rounds, with three-time champion Smith missing the 36-hole cut.
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Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston: -1 (74-67)
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It has been a torrid couple of years for the popular Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston, who has struggled with injuries.
He recently made his first start in over a year at the Genesis Championship in Korea and he is now fully fit for the 2026 campaign. He will not be earning a paycheck this week, however, after rounds of 74 and 67 for a one-under-par total, which agonizingly was one stroke shy of the cut mark.
The damage was done on Thursday when he carded two double-bogeys in a three-over-par 74. He followed it up with a brilliant bogey-free 67 in round two but it ultimately was not quite enough.
Joaquin Niemann: E (71-71)
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LIV Golf star Joaquin Niemann was one of the biggest names in the field to start the week and he has surprisingly missed the cut after back-to-back rounds of level-par.
Niemann also missed the cut at last week’s Saudi International, so he’ll be hoping to re-find some form ahead of next week’s Australian Open at Royal Melbourne – which he won in 2023.
The Chilean made ten birdies in his opening 36 holes but surprisingly matched them with ten bogeys.
Matt Jones: +1 (71-72)
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Another LIV Golfer to be going home early is two-time Australian Open champion Matt Jones.
The former two-time PGA Tour winner and Ripper GC player made six birdies, five bogeys and a costly double-bogey in his one-over-par two-round total.
Jones was recently T6th at the Hong Kong Open but has now missed back-to-back cuts after also going home early last week in Saudi Arabia.
Cameron Smith: +2 (69-75)
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Smith got off to a strong start on Thursday with a two-under-par round of 69 but had a surprisingly bad Friday to miss the weekend.
The Brisbane native, who won his third Australian PGA Championship at this venue in 2022 and was runner-up last year, made four bogeys and a double in his second-round 75.
Remarkably, from the seven non-LIV Golf events he has played in 2025, he has missed all seven cuts. This clearly is not the Cameron Smith of 2022.
He’ll be hoping to forget about Friday and take the positives of round one to Royal Melbourne next week.
Cameron Adam: +3 (75-70)
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Walker Cup player Cameron Adam was making his professional debut this week after earning full DP World Tour status via the Global Amateur Pathway Ranking.
The Scottish player attended Northwestern University, the same as Luke Donald and Matt Fitzpatrick, and won the 2023 Scottish Amateur Championship.
He’ll have to wait for his first paycheck as a pro after a poor opening 75, which featured a front nine of 41 (+5).
Adam bounced back with a one-under-par 70 on Friday but still fell well short of the cut mark.
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen: +5 (75-73)
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The Dane has been one of the standout players in Europe this year during his rookie season on the DP World Tour.
He recently earned his 2026 PGA Tour card via the 10 Cards Initiative so it is surprising to see him outside of the top 140 at the halfway stage.
Neergaard-Petersen recently finished T3rd at the DP World Tour Championship in a year that included two runners-up finishes, six other top-10s and a T12 at the US Open.
He’ll certainly be one to watch in the US next year.
