DENNIS PASSA
AP Sports Writer
HOYLAKE, England (AP) — Masters champion Bubba Watson and a number of former British Open winners including Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington were among those missing the cut Friday at Royal Liverpool.
Watson finished his morning round Friday well before the cut of 2-over 146 was determined. But he figured his 4-over total after rounds of 76 and 72 would not see him playing the weekend, saying “I can’t wait to get back to see my wife and child.”
Els, the 2002 and 2012 champion, lost any realistic chance of making the cut when he shot 79 Thursday. He said he was shaken up after injuring a spectator with an errant tee shot on the first hole and making a triple-bogey 7.
The South African shot 73 Friday and missed the cut by six strokes. Harrington, who won in 2008 at Royal Birkdale, had a 78 and also missed by six.
Three-time winner Nick Faldo was joined by fellow Englishmen Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter in missing the weekend, along with former PGA Championship winner Y.E. Yang and his South Korean compatriot, K. J. Choi.
The cut hit American former champions hard. John Daly, who won at St. Andrews in 1995, Justin Leonard (1997), David Duval (2001), Ben Curtis (2003) and Todd Hamilton (2004) all left early, as did two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton, who finished tied for the runner-up spot at the U.S. Open.
John Singleton, a factory worker from 10 minutes down the road who got into the Open via local qualifying, can go back to his day job with his head held high after shooting rounds of 78-70 and missing the cut by only two strokes.
Sandy Lyle, the 1985 champion at St. George’s, continued his poor recent form in the Open. He’s missed the cut six out of the last seven years and when he did qualify for the weekend — last year at Muirfield — he finished 84th and last.
As a former champion, the 56-year-old Lyle can continue playing the Open until he turns 60.
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