British Open report

U.S. Open winner Justin Rose of England shot a 6-over-par 77 on Friday to finish with a two-day total of 152 and missed the cut by two strokes. He was joined by several former major winners, including Rory McIlroy and Jim Furyk, along with others ranked in the top 30.
U.S. Open winner Justin Rose of England shot a 6-over-par 77 on Friday to finish with a two-day total of 152 and missed the cut by two strokes. He was joined by several former major winners, including Rory McIlroy and Jim Furyk, along with others ranked in the top 30.

Rose leads list of those missing cut

GULLANE, Scotland - Two weeks after enjoying the perks of a U.S. Open champion, from dining with the prime minister to watching the Wimbledon men’s final from the Royal Box, Justin Rose led a parade of stars exiting the British Open.

Rose shot a 6-over-par 77 Friday to finish with a two-day total of 152, missing the cut by two strokes.

He was joined by several former major winners, including Rory McIlroy and Jim Furyk, as well as a few others, like Luke Donald, Matteo Manassero and Nick Watney, ranked among the top 30 players in the world.

“Golf humbles you all the time,” said Rose, No. 3 in the ranking.

The last U.S. Open champion to miss the cut at the British was Lucas Glover in 2009.

Two weeks of unseasonably warm weather and sunshine made the fairways in some places rock-hard and more than a few greens lightning-fast.

Even players like McIlroy who grew up playing on links courses found the conditions testing their patience beyond the limit.

The Northern Irishman shot 75 to go with a first round 79. Birdies were so few and far between that with his departure before the weekend already guaranteed, he celebrated one at No. 17 with an exaggerated fist-pump.

“That was a very big putt for me,” he said, laughing.

Slick 15th

The nickname for Nicolas Colsaerts coming into the Open was the “Belgian Bomber.”

He can only hope someone doesn’t change it to “Six-Putt.”

That’s how many putts it took Colsaerts to get the ball in the hole on the 15th green, where he ended up making a quintuple-bogey 9 on the par 4. He missed the cut by a shot.

“When you see it on TV, it will look like a stupid situation but he was trying on every putt and he missed each time,” said Michel Vanmeerbeek, Colsaerts’ putting coach. “One of the best players in the world ends up looking stupid.”

If it’s any consolation, Colsaerts wasn’t alone. Zach Johnson three-putted from 10 feet, a putt from Billy Horschel went 30 feet when it was supposed to go only 15, and player after player walked off the green shaking their heads in amazement.

“Obviously, 15 was a bit of carnage, when I’m trying to two-putt from 10 feet,” Johnson said. “That was just not easy.”

Ian Poulter was happy just to get down in two on the green, where the hole was cut on a slope that was exposed to the wind.

“I managed to two-putt it, so I’m over the moon,” Poulter said.

Too young?

Jordan Spieth’s victory at the John Deere Classic last weekend made him the youngest player to win on the PGA Tour since 1931.

The 19-year-old was making a serious bid to become the youngest British Open Championship since 1868 - until he got reckless over the four closing holes Friday.

Spieth made just two bogeys in his first 32 holes to reach 3 under and stake out a spot near the top of the leaderboard. Then he went double bogey at No.

15, bogey at Nos. 16 and 17, and closed on a sour note by missing a 4-foot birdie putt at the last hole. Despite the 3-over 74, he was still in contention at 143 heading into the final two rounds.

“Yesterday I was, for some reason, extremely patient with just taking my 30-footers and just trying to give myself tap-ins and not worrying about making birdies,” Spieth said. “Today I got to a point where I finally had enough and wanted to really hit it closer.

“And that,” he added, referring to his closing stretch, “is what happens when you try.”

Spieth was asked whether the frenetic pace of the last week might have contributed to the bad decision-making. He said that wasn’t a problem, and he wasn’t worried about getting caught up reflecting on his breakout win, either.

“Partly because there’s not great Internet access for me here. But also because it’s a major championship, and I’m right back into feeling the nerves of trying to compete out here.”

Too old?

Making rash decisions on the course is rarely a problem for Mark O’Meara and Tom Lehman.

The two former British Open winners, 56 and 54, respectively, parlayed experience into scintillating opening rounds. Friday, though, was a different story.

O’Meara, the 1998 winner at Royal Birkdale, followed up his 67 with a 78; Lehman, who won at Royal Lytham in 1996, followed his 68 with a 77.

“I just played pretty poorly, to be honest with you,” O’Meara said.

“Bogeying the last two holes didn’t help.”

“Really ugly golf,” Lehman said. “From the beginning to the end, just seems like I got progressively worse.”

Lehman added, “There’s an element of patience that really suits that kind of course we had yesterday.”

But he also conceded giving away yards and years to the rest of the field made winning tougher as the tournament stretched on.

“I think the good rounds are as good, but the bad rounds, you don’t hit it as far or bring more of those bunkers into play or start to miss it a little bit. Bunkers that are out of play for the younger guys are in play for me. You kind of get it. Today is a good example.”

If either golfer rallies on the weekend, he would become the oldest ever to win a major. Julius Boros, who was 48 when he won the PGA Championship in 1968, holds that distinction.

At a glance

GULLANE, Scotland - A glance at Friday’s second round of the British Open at 7,192-yard, par-71 Muirfield:

LEADING Miguel Angel Jimenez, a 49-year-old Spaniard who shot a 71 and was 3 under through two rounds.

JUST BEHIND Tiger Woods, Lee Westwood, Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson were a stroke back.

WHERE’S PHIL? Micelson was tied for11th at 1 over after a 74.

NOTABLE The cut at 8-over-par was the highest in 10 years, matching the mark at Royal St. George’s.

QUOTABLE “I have not the right to do it? Only the young people can do it?” Miguel Angel Jimenez, when asked about his chances of winning.

TODAY’S TV ESPN, 6 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Central; ABC, 2-5 p.m. Central

Sports, Pages 26 on 07/20/2013

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