Australian Cameron Smith has missed the cut at the US Open, but a group of his compatriots remains on the hunt after the windy second round of the classic tournament.
Unlike Smith, whose round was ruined by off-fairway trips to the rough, Marc Leishman struggled to keep in touch during a rough day at the Brookline course in Massachusetts.
Smith’s hopes of challenging for a first major championship dusted after a disappointing second round with Australia’s No. 6 world rankings, who followed up an opening 72 with a frustrating 74.
Smith dropped to six over par for the tournament and missed the halfway mark on Friday night by a distance.
Leishman and Scott in position
Leishman birdied his penultimate hole in a 71, leaving the 38-year-old with one left and six shots behind halfway leaders Collin Morikawa and compatriot Joel Dahmen.
Scott is playing in his 84th consecutive major and is one stroke further back on a three-over 73.
Scott’s little-known compatriot Todd Sinnott is two over on his big debut.
A sectional qualifier in Japan, 439th-ranked Sinnott posted his second straight 71 to impressively survive the cut.
And two weeks after his sister Minjee won her second major at the US Women’s Open, Min Woo Lee also made a weekend start after a late save in his second round.
Lee reached his penultimate hole, the eighth, sinking an 18-footer that caused him to fight back to three over and right on the cut line after a level-par round of 70.
But the tournament is over for Smith and compatriots Lucas Herbert and Jed Morgan.
Smith had to start after a difficult opening lap, and his hopes for a quick start were dashed on Friday morning.
The Queenslander found the thick, shaggy material in front of the green on the par-three second and swung angrily at the grass after failing to get within 10 feet with his second shot.
From bad to worse
After a bogey there, his mood had barely improved, with further drop shots in the fourth and sixth gave him a mountain to make it through the weekend.
But it only got worse, a headstrong drive on 10th and failure to free itself from a difficult greenside on 15th, leading to two more bogeys.
A 1.5-meter tee shot on the par-3 16th eventually gave Smith his first birdie in 23 holes, but it was too late.
Herbert crashed to 13 over with a horror 79, while Morgan finished at 16 left after following up on his disastrous opening 82 with a 74.
Chasing the third leg of a career grand slam, Morikawa took part of the lead at five under with a 66, the low round of the day.
Dahmen fired a 68 as the leaders claimed a one-stroke lead over five players, including pre-tournament favorite Rory McIlroy (69) and defending champion John Rahm (67).
World No.1 Scottie Scheffler (67) is three under and two of the pace.
