Graeme McDowell fades as Tiger Cranks it up
The current US Open Champion found no joy at Augusta this week and packed his bags on Friday after a one over par second round failed to save him, leaving him free to make his way home to Lake Nona in Florida - wondering perhaps how to kick start his season. With an indifferent record at the Masters, McDowell’s result is not surprising perhaps, and it is a second missed cut in three appearances, with a tied 17th his best finish back in 2009.
However it must not have been an easy day on Friday for the Portrush golfer as his playing partner, Tiger Woods, birdied seven of the last eleven holes to sign for a round of 66 and ease into contention.
For McDowell the Chevron Golf Challenge of last December, when he beat Tiger in the play off, must have been but a vague memory.
World Number Martin Kaymer saw his challenge unravel on Thursday when a round of 78 made it very difficult, given the score posted by Rory McIlroy, and his level par 72 on Friday was far from not enough to stay inside the cut line.
Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington also flew home earlier than planned for Dublin leaving behind the younger generation of McIlroy and Day in command of the Masters, with the Irish challenge at Augusta reduced from three to one.
For Harrington, it is the first time he won’t be around for the weekend at Augusta National since 2005. For two of the last three years, Harrington had finished in the top 10, with a seventh place in 2007 and then fifth in 2008.
Many other big names also failed in their efforts; Stewart Cink (8 over), Paul Casey (9 over), Vijay Singh (10 over), Henrik Stenson (11 over), and Jim Furyk (12 over)
Defending champion Angel Cabrera of Argentina birdied the last hole to make it – albeit a late charge. The last defending champion to miss the cut at the Masters was 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir, who shot 79-70 to miss the cut the following year.
