Golf - US Open:Pádraig Harrington's miserable run of form continues after the three-time major winner missed the cut at the US Open in Bethpage, New York where PGA Tour rookie Ricky Barnes is the surprise leader and Tiger Woods has his work cut out to get back into contention.
Harrington wasn’t alone as a sizeable section of the European contingent – including Darren Clarke, Paul Casey and Luke Donald - bowed out at the halfway stage of the second major of the year where the weather has played havoc with the tournament schedule. The cut fell at four-over par.
The Dubliner carded a second successive 76 to miss by eight shots on 12-over. Harrington was playing alongside Woods and proceeded to card two birdies, six bogeys and a closing double bogey.
It means the world number 11 has now missed five out of the last six cuts as a poor first half of the year continues.
There was better news for Harrington’s Ryder Cup team-mate Lee Westwood, who defied the rain and a bad draw to climb into the top 10.
Westwood, starting the day at two-over, shot a four-under-par 66 for his second round in the worst conditions of the day as rain poured constantly through the afternoon on Long Island.
At two under he finds himself six shots back on Barnes who earlier in the day carded a five-under-par second-round 65 in the best of the conditions playing back-to-back rounds yesterday and this morning.
“I just went out with the idea of trying to be in front on my side of the draw,” Westwood said. “I’ve managed to do that so I’m delighted.”
Graeme McDowell was the leading Irishman on one-over after a second round 72 brought the 29-year-old back over par following his first round 69.
Rory McIlroy was a shot further back on two-over after his second round 70, while Darren Clarke outscored Harrington by two strokes but at 10-over, following today’s 76, he too had the rest of the weekend off.
Barnes, the 2002 US Amateur champion who earned his tour card this year after six years as a professional, leads at eight-under, his 132 the lowest 36-hole total in US Open history.
It puts him one ahead early leader Lucas Glover, who posted a six-under-par 64, and another shot in front of first-round leader Mike Weir, the 2003 Masters champion from Canada who added a 70 to his opening 64.
Those three were set to get the third round way in a group of three with the lower half of the leaderboard playing from the 10th.
Barnes, 28, had begun the day in second place at five-under and carded three more birdies on a course that yielded just one under par total, that of Woods, when the US Open was first staged there in 2002.
“It’s pretty cool,” Barnes said. “At the beginning of the week you didn’t think that score was out there.
“With some tees moved up and the soft greens helped it out. And my ball-striking was the most probably impressive part of the first 36 holes. I just got 31 of 36 greens. Pretty stress-free, I think one bogey.
“But also if you would have told me I would have been eight under and only a one-shot lead, I would have said, ‘You’re kidding me’, but I’ll take it. It was solid play. And I’m happy with in the position I’m at.”
With the halfway cut determined by the low 60 scorers and ties, defending champion Woods found himself on the line at four- over after eight holes of his second round but three birdies and just one bogey over his next six gave him the luxury of a bogey at the last to finish at three-over.
With the rain reaching Long Island, the leaderboard remained dominated by Barnes’ initially late-starting side of the draw.
In addition to the top three, Japan’s Azuma Yano shot a 65 to get to three-under alongside former British Open champion David Duval, who added a 70 to his opening 67, and Peter Hanson of Sweden, who finished with a 71.
World number two Phil Mickelson carded a 70 to get to one-under with fellow Americans Gary Woodland and Steve Stricker, who both shot 66s.
