Ferrie merry but Tiger not out of the woods
Tiger Woods was today heading for his first missed halfway cut in major championships as a professional in the US Open at Winged Foot.
And just as surprisingly, England’s Kenneth Ferrie was at the top of the leaderboard midway through his second round.
Ferrie, making his tournament debut, carded an opening 71 and birdied the first, seventh and ninth this afternoon to improve to two under par.
That was one shot ahead of clubhouse leader Steve Stricker, who had added a 69 to his opening 70, and overnight leader Colin Montgomerie who had opened his second round with four pars.
Woods has played all four rounds in each of his 37 majors since joining the paid ranks, last missing one while still an amateur in the 1996 US Masters.
But the world number one was left needing a minor miracle to survive after rounds of 76 and 76 for a 12 over par total of 152.
The rule stipulating any player within 10 shots of the leader – plus the top 60 and ties – makes the cut could have been Woods’ saviour, but Stricker was already in the clubhouse at one under par.
Now the 10-time major winner faced a long wait to see if the afternoon starters struggled badly enough to elevate him into the top 60.
Woods was in little doubt he had missed the cut and, asked how he felt, said:
“I felt I was playing well enough to shoot under par today and I didn’t do that. It wasn’t rust. I just did not put it together at the right time. I didn’t execute properly and consequently I shot six over.
“I felt I could have turned it around at any time with just one shot, one putt. I made two good saves on 18 and the first and thought that would be pretty good, I thought I could turn it round there. I knew if I made a birdie coming in the 10-shot rule would have got me in.
“The course is very difficult. The wind is up like it was yesterday afternoon and marginal shots are going to get killed here, more so here than any other US Open venue.”
Stricker holed two bunker shots for birdie – including on the ninth, his final hole, to set the clubhouse target.
“It feels great,” said the 39-year-old from Wisconsin, who won the Accenture Match Play on its one-off trip to Melbourne in 2001. “But the halfway point is the key. We still have a lot of golf to play.
“The course is playing similar to yesterday but I think it’s possible someone could shoot a good scre today like David Howell had it going yesterday.
“It just never lets up though, you have to keep grinding all the way round.”
Playing his first competitive round after a nine-week lay-off following the death of his father, Woods opened with four straight pars but then took a double bogey six on the 14th, fluffin his chip from the edge of the green and three-putting from long range.
He then suffered a terrible slice of bad luck on the 16th when his approach to the green caught an overhanging tree and ricocheted some 50 yards backwards on to a hole on the East Course. From there he pitched into a greenside bunker and took three more to get down for another double bogey.
A curling 20ft putt on the 17th gave Woods only his third birdie of the week, but he had to scramble to save par again on the 18th after driving into thick rough and hitting his second shot through the green.
Woods was having to scramble desperately to keep his hopes alive, saving par on the first despite having an awkward stance for his third shot with one foot in the bunker and one perched on the grass bank above.
Another wild drive on the second was fortunate to found a good lie in the rough trampled down by the gallery, and from there he found the green with his approach and two-putted for par.
Woods had complained about the “slow and bumpy” greens after hisopening round, and again misjudged the pace on the fourth, charging his birdie attempt nine feet past and missing the return for another bogey.
Further bogeys followed at the eighth and ninth and Woods looked well and truly resigned to his fate.
Darren Clarke echoed Woods’ complaints about the greens after a 72 left him five over, while David Howell – three clear at four under after 14 holes of his first round – slumped to a 78.
Ryder Cup team-mate Paul Casey ran up a double bogey on the 18th for the second day running in a 72 to leave him nine over.
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