Nick Faldo, so full of hope at the start of the week, crashed out of the Heineken Classic in Perth yesterday. After the promise of his third-place finish in South Africa a fortnight ago - his best solo performance for almost four years - Faldo missed the halfway cut by two shots with a three-over-par total of 147.

It was a disappointing day for overnight leader Dean Robertson, Justin Rose and Greg Norman as well.

Robertson, who had finished his opening 65 by sinking a 103yard pitch shot, managed only a 74 to fall four behind the two new pacesetters, Dane Steen Tinning and Australian lefthander Nick O'Hern.

Rose's chances of a maiden Tour win after two successive runners-up finishes look far more remote. Two under when he resumed, he was out in the more windy afternoon conditions and survived the cut in the end at one over by splashing out of a bunker to three feet for a closing birdie.

Norman is still well in the hunt alongside Robertson on the five-under-par mark of 139, but a double-bogey six at the 396-yard fifth led to a 73 and hit his hopes of a first victory for three years.

Tinning, winner of his first European Tour title at the Wales Open at Celtic Manor last June, and local man O'Hern are three clear after rounds of 66 and 69 respectively.

Faldo sensed his luck might not be in at his very first hole, the 538-yard 10th. He looked to have copied Robertson when his pitch for an eagle went into the hole, but then came out again and spun right off the green. Instead of a three he took a bogey six.

Three over par as a result, any chance he had of fighting back and surviving to the weekend went when he double-bogeyed the 375-yard second and three birdies in the last six holes were too little, too late.

Faldo had hoped the tournament would further boost his hopes of a Ryder Cup return in September.

Luton's Ian Poulter, meanwhile, had the first hole-in-one of his European Tour career at the 16th, but the smile was soon wiped off his face.

If he had done it in the third and fourth rounds the feat would have earned him £40,000-worth of gaming chips from a local casino. As if that was not bad enough, Poulter discovered his two-over-par total of 146 was one too many to keep him in the £650,000 event.