Disappointing to miss the cut narrowly

I did not give up till almost the very end. It is not just to make the cut or something like that, it is just a professional golfer’s pride and etiquette to give it all till the very end.

As I mentioned in my previous dispatch, I knew I needed an error-free good second round to advance past the cut line. So I knew the task was cut out for me and I was ready for it.

Starting my day early something I was looking forward to, as the conditions seemed more conducive to scoring than the afternoons. In the mornings, the course seemed more receptive as it was moist and green. But in the afternoons, it seems to dry (unless it rained) and the fine fescue grasses dry out and as the Poa annua blooms, the greens become slick and bumpy at the same time, making things tougher.

I started with a bogey, but I shrugged it aside and got down to the task of ensuring ‘no more bogeys’ and it worked fine as I got back the shot with a birdie on 12th, my third hole. On this rather short and driveable par-4 12th hole, I got to the big green and then from around 60 feet, my first putt came to eight feet and I holed it. Great.

Then I plugged along with a series of pars and I was fine with that, though a putt or two could have fetched me a birdie, but it was alright as long I didn’t make any errors. Then on the second nine, on the par-4 second, I hit my second shot perfectly to six feet and holed my second birdie to go under-par for the round. Then followed a par.

But after that I was unable to get that rhythm. I missed pars and even a birdie putt and what’s worse I dropped shots on fourth, sixth and ninth. Even after that bogey on fourth, where I missed a par putt from just 10 feet, I felt I had a chance to stay on for the weekend. But the bogey on sixth spoilt that. Still I had another birdie chance on eighth from around 15 feet, but it didn’t fall and then I dropped a shot at ninth.

The cut came at five-over and I was seven-over, but frankly I was very close and it was indeed disappointing. But another big lesson in course conditions.

My friend Shiv Kapur also had a very rough day and with a 77, he also missed out on the weekend action, as did Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand.