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Australian golfers Day, Scott among big-name US Open exits after tough second round

Jason Day laments his first missed cut at the US Open from seven starts. Photo: Getty

Jason Day laments his first missed cut at the US Open from seven starts. Photo: Getty

Jason Day and Adam Scott will go back to the drawing board after becoming high-profile casualties of a second-round collapse from the Australian contingent at the US Open.

World No.3 Day surrendered the longest active streak (17) of cuts made at the majors.

Day and Scott missed the weekend together at a major championship for the first time in their careers, with only Marc Leishman (rounds of 68, 70) the only Aussie to secure a berth in the final two days at Wisconsin’s Erin Hills.

The top-60 players and ties progress to the weekend at the US Open, and the projected one-over cut ruled out Scott (72, 75) at three-over-par, Day (79, 75) and Nick Flanagan (75, 79) at 10-over par and Wade Ormsby (75, 75) at six-over par.

With the afternoon wave still underway, England’s Paul Casey (71) is in the clubhouse at seven-under to be co-leader with American duo Brooks Koepka (through 15 holes) and Brian Harman (through 17 holes).

Overnight leader Rickie Fowler is a shot-back in a tie for fourth at six-under.

Day and Scott admit struggles

Scott’s last missed cut at one of the four big dances was the 2015 PGA, and the 36-year-old lamented a misbehaving putter after improving his form on the greens in 2017.

“I played well, I just really struggled on the greens … again,” Scot told AAP.

“It was a huge battle out there for me and any flaw is more exposed at the majors.”

It is Day’s first missed cut at the US Open – where he has had two runner-ups among five top-10s from seven starts – and his first weekend off at a major since the 2012 US PGA Championship.

The 29-year-old, who won his maiden major title at the 2015 US PGA Championship, said the dismal result had come as a surprise given his intense practice in the lead-up.

“This has been the best preparation going into a major in my career, but the execution was not there,” Day said.

“This is an American links course and I’ve typically struggled with that style in the past.”

But Scott will take positives into three weeks of practice before teeing it up at the Scottish Open starting July 12 and the British Open at Royal Birkdale the following week.

“You just have to look forward,” Scott said.

“I played well enough to be contention at Erin Hills, let alone make the cut and it’s disappointing.

“I couldn’t get comfortable over the putter.

“It’s absolutely fixable; it’s not a technical thing, it’s just in my own head and something I have to work on.”

Other big-name exits include world No.2 Rory McIlroy (78, 71) and British Open champion Henrik Stenson (74, 73), with defending champion Dustin Johnson fighting to make the cut at two-over through 13 holes.

McIlroy will join Day at the US PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship in Connecticut next week.

“I saw some positives and hopefully I can take them to the Travelers,” McIlroy, who has been sidelined a total of 10 weeks with a rib injury in 2017, said.

“I’m excited to get on a run of golf and get going.”

—AAP

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