Unkindest cut
MAMARONECK, N.Y. — Father's Day. The U.S. Open. They have always gone hand-in-hand for Tiger Woods, and he no doubt envisioned this week as the perfect time to win one for Dad.
Instead, he will be a spectator, the result of a surprisingly terrible two-day display that ended in Woods missing the cut in a major for the first time as a pro.
Playing from under trees, in the rough and even from the wrong course Friday, Woods shot his second straight score of 6-over-par 76 to miss the cut by three strokes.
"I don't care if you had what transpired in my life or not," said Woods, playing for the first time since his father died in May. "Poor execution is never going to feel very good."
Woods wasn't the only player to serve up a stunner on another difficult day at Winged Foot.
Steve Stricker played his way into the lead, holing out two bunker shots during his final nine to shoot 1-under 69. He held a one-stroke lead over Colin Montgomerie, who shot 71. And David Duval shot 68 to finish at 5-over and make the cut in a major for the first time since 2002, the year after he won the British Open.
Surprised? Duval insisted he wasn't.
"It's a matter of confidence in how I'm playing," he said. "My results haven't been nearly what I thought they should be this year to this point."
Another shot behind Montgomerie were Geoff Oglivy and Kenneth Ferrie, who each shot 70. Jim Fuyrk, the 2003 champion, and Padraig Harrington were at 142. Phil Mickelson shot 73 to enter the weekend at 143, four shots back with Graeme McDowell, Aaron Oberholser and Jason Dufner.
"Bogeys are OK," Mickelson said, rare words from a guy who thrives on birdies. "I'm within four shots with two rounds to go. I'm where I wanted to be. All I wanted is a chance."
That's more than Woods has.
All signs pointed to a solid return for the world's best player, who had won tournaments after the two long layoffs earlier in his career. He insisted beforehand that he was ready to contend for a championship. His two days of golf showed he really wasn't.
He missed 21 of 28 fairways and when he did hit them, he wasn't great with his irons. Putting wasn't good, either.
The hole that best summed things up was No. 16, where he hit a great drive, but lost his second shot slightly to the left. It clipped a tree, bounced to the left, hit a cart path and came to rest near a chain-link fence in a bunker on the 12th hole of the East Course at Winged Foot, which is closed for this tournament.
After a free drop and a chip into a bunker, he made double-bogey to balloon to 10-over par.
Woods said his father's recent death and the emotional aftermath were not to blame. Nor was the layoff.
"No, not rust," he said. "Unfortunately, I just didn't execute properly, and consequently, I shot 6-over."
