British Open: Merciless Troon claims high-profile victims

Oosthuizen, Matsuyama and Lowry among others to exit halfway

TROON: World number 14 Louis Oosthuizen, 17th-ranked Hideki Matsuyama and number 27 Shane Lowry were among the high-profile victims of the halfway cut at the British Open on Friday.

Former champions Ernie Els, Justin Leonard, Todd Hamilton, Mark Calcavecchia, John Daly and Ben Curtis also failed to make the weekend.

South African Oosthuizen, who won golf’s oldest major at St Andrews in 2010 and recorded a hole-in-one at the short 14th on Thursday, crashed to a 12-over 83 in the second round.



Lowry did his best, in the driving rain and 20mph winds, to get his challenge back on track after a sorry opening 78 but a 71 was not enough.

“I played great,” the Irishman told reporters. “I was like [wrestler] Hulk Hogan yesterday and [golfing great] Ben Hogan today.”



The cut was made at four-over 146, a score that was also too good for US trio Jimmy Walker, Billy Horschel and Scott Piercy, Britons Paul Casey and Matt Fitzpatrick, Dutchman Joost Luiten, Victor Dubuisson of France, Dane Thorbjorn Olesen and New Zealander Danny Lee.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2016.

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