Bevy of big names miss cut as Augusta National shows no favoritism

Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington and prodigy Rory McIlroy are leaving town early, but they're not the only stars to miss the cut. Defending champ Angel Cabrera birdied the last hole to make it.

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM Site Producer

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- So much for the luck of the Irish. Padraig Harrington and Rory McIlroy are headed home early from the 74th Masters after finishing their first two rounds at 5 over and 7 over, respectively.

Neither player was close to the cut line, which was 3 over.

For Harrington, it’s the first time he won’t be around for the weekend at Augusta National since 2005. Two of the last three years, Harrington had finished in the top 10, tying for seventh in 2007 and fifth in 2008.

McIlroy, playing in just his second Masters after tying for 20th a year ago, had just two birdies all week and struggled with his putting, taking 30 and 31 putts each of the first two days.

They weren’t the only big names to be sent packing, however. Stewart Cink (8 over), Paul Casey (9 over), Vijay Singh (10 over), Henrik Stenson (11 over), and Jim Furyk (12 over) all missed the cut.

Stenson and Furyk failed to break 80 in Thursday’s opening round. Furyk’s opener was particularly puzzling. After making the turn in even par, the Transitions Championship winner shot 44 on the back nine on a day in which 31 players were under par.

Like McIlroy, Casey struggled with his putting with 63 putts in two rounds. He was also inaccurate off the tee, hitting just 15 of 28 fairways. Casey came into the Masters having withdrawn from the Shell Houston Open with a shoulder injury.

On the flip side of that was defending champion Angel Cabrera. He made the cut on the number, but only after a birdie on the 18th hole. The last defending champion to miss the cut at the Masters was 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir, who shot 79-70 to miss the cut the following year.

Chad Campbell, who was eliminated on the first extra hole of last year’s playoff with Cabrera and Kenny Perry, also made it on the number -- though he shot a second-round 79 to follow his opening 68.

Perry, meanwhile, is 1 under after 36 holes.

Also making the cut was 16-year-old Italian amateur Matteo Manassero, the youngest player ever to play in and make the cut at the Masters. Previously, the youngest player to make the cut was Bobby Cole of South Africa, who was about a month shy of his 19th birthday when he made it in 1967.

The biggest swing of the day? That came from Sandy Lyle. The two-time major champion who won the 1988 Masters shot an 86 on Friday -- 17 shots worse than his opening round. That was the second-worst first-to-second round score in the history of the Masters. Only Mike Donald had a larger margin when he opened with a 64 in the first round, only to shoot 82 in the second round.