TIGER MISSES CUT DESPITE CONTROVERSIAL LOST BALL RULING IN HIS FAVOUR AT QUAIL HOLLOW

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE

By James Corrigan, in Charlotte
Not even a controversial ruling could save Tiger Woods from the eighth missed cut of his professional career at Quail Hollow on Friday. His second flop in succession merely served to prove that reports of his resurrection had been greatly exaggerated.
When Woods won at Bay Hill three starts ago, the overwhelming prediction was the resumption of big things. Instead there’s been the resumption of big numbers. His second-round 73 — which left him stranded on level par, 12 off Nick Watney’s lead — was the eighth round in a row in which he failed to record in the 60s.
“If I get over the ball and feel uncomfortable I hit it great,” he said, sounding utterly confused. “It’s frustrating but it takes time to get rid of old patterns. It takes hundreds of thousands and millions of golf balls, but it eventually comes around.”
Woods is not blessed with time. With the US Open just six weeks away his status must now be classed as urgent, with this following on from his tie for 40th place at the Masters

The US PGA Tour never like to see their main draw boarding his private jet on a Friday. Yet perhaps there was a trace of relief for their chief rules official. If Woods had made, instead of missed, the cut by a shot, the attention would have fallen on the verdict of Mark Russell. He awarded Woods a contentious free-drop when his ball couldn’t be found.

From the middle of the fairway, with 260 yards to the par-five fifth green (his 14th) and with Woods desperate for at least one birdie, a wild hook was 60 yards off line.
 It headed towards a bare area, featuring a few pines and a holly tree. One gentleman told Russell he had seen it land and another member of the gallery verified that account.

Nobody, however, said they had seen anyone pick up the ball, but “based on the evidence” Russell determined someone had stolen it. The rules say that if it is “certain” the ball has been stolen the player can drop, without penalty, where it was believed to have finished. Woods wasn’t able to conjure a birdie, but did make a par and, at that stage, still had a fighting chance.

This is where it became interesting as after Russell had made the ruling and Woods had played, another fan told the official that he had seen the ball go into a tree and not emerge. Russell agreed had he been told this earlier the decision might have different. “But it was after the fact,” he said.

However, how could Russell have been “certain” in the first place? Despite there being hundreds of supporters on the scene, nobody witnessed the theft.
“I would have been more wrong telling him he had to go back,” said Russell. Alas, there are many rules in golf which could be deemed “wrong”.
Woods could only par the par-five seventh and then missed a four-footer for birdie on the eighth (his 17th). In truth, it was a tame surrender.
Lee Westwood did not submit so easily. Indeed, the Englishman birdied two of the last four holes for a 72 to scrape in at one-under.
But apart from his finish, it wasn’t a good day for Westwood. He discovered that his caddie, Billy Foster, will almost certainly be out for the season after a scan in Yorkshire revealed the knee injury he sustained playing football on Monday could take six months to heal.
Westwood is using Cayce Kerr, Fred Couples’ caddie, here and at next week’s Players Championship.

SECOND-ROUND LEADERBOARD
Par 144 (2x72)
Players from US unless stated
132 Nick Watney 68 64
133 Webb Simpson 65 68
134 Stewart Cink 65 69, Ben Crane 70 64, D A Points 66 68, John Senden (Australia) 66 68
135 Ryan Moore 65 70
136 Hunter Haas 68 68, Heath Slocum 69 67

SELECTED SCORES
138 Rory McIlroy (N Ireland) 70 68 (T13)
140 Brian Davis 66 74 (T27)
142 Martin Laird (Scotland) 72 70 (T49)
143 Lee Westwood (England) 71 72, Gary Christian (England) 73 70 (T63)

MISSED THE CUT (143 or better qualified)
144 Greg Owen (England) 71 73.
150 Russell Knox (Scotland) 77 73, David Duval 76 74.

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