Nick Taylor finally made a major cut again. Some big names failed to do the same at the Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Nick Taylor finally made the cut in another major. Brooks Koepka missed the weekend at the Masters in agonizing fashion.

Then there was Bernhard Langer and Fred Couples, two former Masters champions, who took their attempts at making the cut all the way to the 18th hole Friday. The 67-year-old Langer missed a par putt that would have gotten him into the weekend, while the 65-year-old Couples made bogey when he needed birdie on the par-4 finishing hole.

They certainly weren't alone in their tournament ending early.

Koepka, a five-time major winner, was in good shape with two to play. He had opened with a 74 but was 2 under on the day when he bogeyed the par-4 17th. Then came the 18th and catastrophe: Koepka was so far left off the tee he took a penalty shot and hit again, then missed the green with his approach and three-putted from 12 feet to miss the cut by two shots.

He had made eight straight cuts in majors, including his second PGA title and a tie for second at the Masters two years ago.

There were other painful moments Friday.

Russell Henley had been one of the hottest players in the game coming into the week, making the cut in each start this season and winning against a loaded field at Bay Hill. He opened with a 79 that put him near the bottom of the leaderboard, but Henley rallied with a second-round 68 on Friday that left him in Langer's group one shot shy of the cut.

“Yesterday just was terrible. It was such a tough day,” Henley said. “There’s a lot to be thankful for. I’m healthy and I feel good and I feel like I can play some good golf this year. No matter what, I feel like I’m in a great spot.”

Dustin Johnson, who set the tournament scoring record when he won in 2021, also finished at 3 over.

“I’m playing better than that I scored for sure," he said. "Played pretty solid all day until last two holes, but you know, this golf course, it's a pretty tough finish. If you drive it in the fairway it’s not tough. You miss the fairway, it’s difficult.”

You can guess where Johnson drove it.

Mike Weir and Sergio Garcia, a pair of former champions, missed the cut with Couples at 4 over. Two more Masters champions, Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson, were in the group with Koepka at 5 over.

“I’ve been playing good golf this year,” Mickelson said, “so I’m disappointed with my score this week.”

Angel Cabrera beat just one other player, shooting 75-80 in his return to the Masters. The 2009 champion generated a bit of controversy simply by showing up. He spent 20 months in an Argentine prison after he was accused of making threats toward former partners. Cabrera was released on parole in August 2023 and won a PGA Tour Champions event last weekend.

The only player Cabrera beat was Nick Dunlap, who was 19 shots better than his first-round 90 with a 1-under 71 on Friday.

Then there were those who managed to slip inside the 2-over cut line.

Xander Schauffele was at 2 under for the tournament, extending his streak to 61 consecutive made cuts. Wyndham Clark was able to rebound from an opening 76 with a 4-under 68 on Friday. Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay and Jordan Spieth made the cut on the number, with the 2015 champion making a two-putt bogey on his final hole to scrape into the weekend.

Taylor also made the weekend at a major — finally.

He has five PGA Tour wins, including one each of the last three years, and his triumph at the Sony Open in January gave the Canadian some momentum early this season. But the majors had given him fits. Taylor had missed the cut in his last eight tries, including the Masters last year. In fact, his last made cut was the Masters five years ago.

“Yeah, it’s never the objective but it certainly has crossed my mind,” Taylor admitted. “It is different, and it’s easy to make it bigger than it is. But each golf shot is the same as you are playing the RBC Heritage next week or Zurich with Adam (Hadwin). You’ve got to make your decisions, commit to them. It’s just a little more difficult here.”

AP Masters coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/the-masters

Nick Dunlap hits from the 11th tee during a practice round at the Masters golf tournament, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Russell Henley walks to the green on the first hole during the second round at the Masters golf tournament, Friday, April 11, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Phil Mickelson. chips to the green on the 18th hole during the second round at the Masters golf tournament, Friday, April 11, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Jon Rahm, of Spain, waves after making a putt on the 18th hole during the second round at the Masters golf tournament, Friday, April 11, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Jordan Spieth waits to play on the 18th hole during the second round at the Masters golf tournament, Friday, April 11, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Fred Couples chips to the green on the 13th hole during the second round at the Masters golf tournament, Friday, April 11, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Bernhard Langer, of Germany, waves to the gallery after the second round at the Masters golf tournament, Friday, April 11, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Nick Taylor, of Canada, hits from the bunker on the second hole during the second round at the Masters golf tournament, Friday, April 11, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said he’s dropping — for now — his push to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, a move that comes after legal roadblocks held up the effort.

“We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again - Only a question of time!" he said in a social media post Wednesday.

Governors typically control states' National Guardsmen, and Trump had deployed troops to all three cities against the wishes of state and local Democratic leaders. He said it was necessary as part of a broader crackdown on immigration, crime and protests.

The president has made a crackdown on crime in cities a centerpiece of his second term — and has toyed with the idea of invoking the Insurrection Act to stop his opponents from using the courts to block his plans. He has said he sees his tough-on-crime approach as a winning political issue ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

Troops had already left Los Angeles after the president deployed them earlier this year as part of a broader crackdown on crime and immigration.

In his post, Trump said the troops' presence was responsible for a drop in crime in the three cities, though they were never on the streets in Chicago and Portland as legal challenges played out. When the Chicago deployment was challenged in court, a Justice Department lawyer said the Guard’s mission would be to protect federal properties and government agents in the field, not “solving all of crime in Chicago.”

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson’s office in a statement said the city’s reduction in crime was due to the efforts of local police and public safety programs. Chicago officials echoed the sentiment, saying in a release Tuesday that the city had 416 homicides in 2025 — the fewest since 2014.

Trump’s push to deploy the troops in Democrat-led cities has been met with legal challenges at nearly every turn.

The Supreme Court in December refused to allow the Trump administration to deploy National Guard troops in the Chicago area. The order was not a final ruling but was a significant and rare setback by the high court for the president’s efforts.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker wrote on X Wednesday that Trump “lost in court when Illinois stood up against his attempt to militarize American cities with the National Guard. Now Trump is forced to stand down.”

Hundreds of troops from California and Oregon were deployed to Portland, but a federal judge barred them from going on the streets. A judge permanently blocked the deployment of National Guard troops there in November after a three-day trial.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said in a statement Wednesday that her office had not yet received “official notification that the remaining federalized Oregon National Guard troops can return home. They were never lawfully deployed to Portland and there was no need for their presence. If President Trump has finally chosen to follow court orders and demobilize our troops, that’s a big win for Oregonians and for the rule of law.”

Trump's decision to federalize National Guard troops began in Los Angeles in June, when protesters took to the streets in response to a blitz of immigration arrests in the area. He deployed about 4,000 troops and 700 Marines to guard federal buildings and, later, to protest federal agents as they carried out immigration arrests.

The number of troops slowly dwindled until just several hundred were left. They were removed from the streets by Dec. 15 after a lower court ruling that also ordered control to be returned to Gov. Gavin Newsom. But an appeals court had paused the second part of the order, meaning control remained with Trump. In a Tuesday court filing, the Trump administration said it was no longer seeking a pause in that part of the order.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to return control of the National Guard to Newsom.

“About time (Trump) admitted defeat,” Newsom said in a social media post. “We’ve said it from day one: the federal takeover of California’s National Guard is illegal.”

Troops will remain on the ground in several other cities. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in December paused a lower court ruling that had called for an end to the deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., where they’ve been deployed since August after Trump declared a “crime emergency.”

Trump also ordered the deployment of the Tennessee National Guard to Memphis in September as part of a larger federal task force to combat crime, a move supported by the state’s Republican Gov. Bill Lee and senators. A Tennessee judge blocked the use of the Guard, siding with Democratic state and local officials who sued. However, the judge stayed the decision to block the Guard as the state appeals, allowing the deployment to continue.

In New Orleans, about 350 National Guard troops deployed by Trump arrived in the city's historic French Quarter on Tuesday and are set to stay through Mardi Gras to help with safety. The state's Republican governor and the city's Democratic mayor support the deployment.

Ding reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press reporters John O'Connor in Springfield, Illinois, Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, Jack Brook in New Orleans and Adrian Sanz in Memphis contributed.

FILE - A protester confronts a line of U.S. National Guard members in the Metropolitan Detention Center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)

FILE - Protesters stand off against California National Guard soldiers at the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles, during a "No Kings" protest, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)