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Woods misses US Open cut as big names continue to struggle

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Tiger Woods missed the halfway cut at the US Open, the day before the 10th anniversary of his last major title success in the latest sign his comeback from major back surgery has stalled.

Woods expressed no doubt when asked whether he still had another major victory in him, but it was a fair question for a 42-year-old who for all his greatness has lost his putting touch and has no guarantee of ever finding it.

"Absolutely," he said. "Have you seen the way I've been swinging?"

He did indeed not play badly in a respectable 2-over-par 72 on Friday, but the damage had been done with an opening 78 that included a demoralising triple-bogey at the first hole.

"I'm not very happy the way I played and the way I putted. I'm 10-over-par," he said after missing the cut by 10 strokes at Shinnecock Hills.

Woods had a goal of shooting 67 or 68 in the second round and working gradually back into the tournament, and that did not look particularly unrealistic after he birdied his first hole, the par-four 10th.

Tiger Woods looks into the distance standing in the rough with his golf club between his legs.

But he later hit a speed bump at the same hole that shook him in the opening round, the par-four first, where he ran up a double-bogey that at least was better than his triple from the previous day.

Woods has won 14 major championships, and 79 PGA Tour events, but has not lifted a trophy in any tournament since 2013.

The former world number one is playing a full schedule this year after a 2017 spinal fusion fixed a debilitating back problem that largely curtailed his schedule in the previous four seasons.

Before this week he had missed the cut only once in nine events in 2018.

"I'm hitting it just fine," he said on Friday.

"I just haven't putted well. If I would have putted like I did at the beginning of the year with this ball striking, that would be ideal. Unfortunately, I just haven't done that."

Woods joins several big names in leaving New York early as Jordan Spieth (9-over), Rory McIlroy (10-over), Sergio Garcia (14-over) and Martin Kaymer (18-over) all missed the cut.

Leishman and Baddeley fly Aussie flag as Johnson streaks away

Marc Leishman has welcomed a brutal third round at the US Open as a blowout from Jason Day and Adam Scott left him as Australia's best hope to reel in runaway leader Dustin Johnson.

Australia's contingent at Shinnecock Hills was whittled down to just Leishman and Aaron Baddeley, with seven Australians missing the cut at the year's second major.

Australian golfer Marc Leishman spreads arms wide to celebrate his chip shot

Leishman fought his way back into contention with a 1-under-par 69 which left the Victorian tied 11th at 3-over, seven shots back of world No.1 Johnson.

Baddeley shot 72 and at 6-over he is in equal 35th place.

Former US Open champion Johnson fired a brilliant 67 to climb to 4-under and he will take a four-shot cushion over Scott Piercy (71) and Charley Hoffman (69) into day three in New York.

Defending champion Brooks Koepka (66), major winners Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson (both 70), as well as Englishmen Tommy Fleetwood (66) and Ian Poulter (72) share fourth at 1-over.

Australia's two biggest names, Scott and Day, both missed the cut at the US Open for a second consecutive year.

Billed as one of the pre-tournament favourites, world No.8 Day shot 73 to finish at 12-over, while Scott's 75 sank him to 13-over.

"I started today on the back foot and you had to do something special to keep up; it was tough out there," Day said.

World No.14 Leishman expects officials to dish up tough pin placements and fast greens in the third round after 14 players shot rounds under par on Friday.

"I'm expecting it to be very tough; the greens will speed up because I don't think they would have liked the scores they saw this afternoon," Leishman said.

But with a razor-sharp short game, the three-time US PGA Tour winner said a nasty Shinnecock set-up would play into his hands.

"Definitely, my short game has been pretty good so far this week, so the harder it gets the more greens guys are going to miss and I feel that's an advantage to me," Leishman said.

"Dustin is playing great golf — anyone who is going to catch him is going to have to play really, really well."

With the cut falling at 8-over, other Australians exiting early included Jason Scrivener (71, 9-over), Matt Jones (74, 10-over), Cameron Smith (72, 11-over), David Bransdon (74, 13-over) and Lucas Herbert (74, 17-over).

AAP/Reuters

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