Weir destined to miss cut, McIlroy 17 shots worse

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This article was published 17/07/2010 (5919 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — As the afternoon and evening progressed at the Old Course — if you call seven-hour rounds of golf progress — it became apparent that whatever the 36-hole cut number might be at the Open Championship, Mike Weir was going to be on the wrong side of it.

One-over-par was Weir’s starting point Friday, and in brutal conditions, with high winds and pins tucked in unforgiving positions, there was no chance he was going to stay in that neighbourhood.

Three front-nine bogeys sealed his fate, and by the time darkness fell — with 10 groups, including Weir’s pairing with Davis Love III and Darren Clarke still out on the course — the 40-year-old from Bright’s Grove, Ont., was five-over-par through 15 holes and had to look forward to an early morning completion of the round, with no hope of success.

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Among other notable victims of the cut were Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els, Justin Rose, Jim Furyk, Geoff Ogilvy — and 60-year-old Tom Watson, who paused atop the Swilcan Bridge in the 18th fairway to say his farewell to St. Andrews, then nearly holed his putt for eagle, the ball hanging on the lip.

If this is his final Open at the Old Course, he will have ended it the same way Jack Nicklaus did in 2005: with a birdie.

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As badly as the week went for Weir, Friday was a lot worse for first-round leader Rory McIlroy, who tied the major championship scoring record with a nine-under-par 63 on Thursday, and may have set the all-time record for biggest second-round collapse by an opening-round leader when he came back with an 80 on Friday.

None of the other 21 players who have shot 63 in a major ever followed it with a higher number in the next round.

The 21-year-old from Northern Ireland began leaking oil after starting with three straight pars, and shot 40 on each side, with five fours and four fives on each nine, to finish 17 strokes worse than a day earlier.

— Postmedia News