Woods Misses His First Cut; Mediate Leads

Rocco Mediate grabbed the midway lead in the Canadian Open on Friday but was upstaged by Tiger Woods, who missed the first cut of his pro career.

Mediate, seeking his first victory since back surgery in 1994, was at five-under-par 135 after 36 holes on a Royal Montreal Golf Club course tailored with the narrow fairways and deep rough of a U.S. Open course.

Phil Tataurangi was one stroke behind at 136. PGA Championship winner Davis Love III was at 137.

Woods, who started his day with a triple bogey and ended it with bogeys on three of the last four holes, shot a 76 and finished at 146, one off the cut. He had made the cut in all 25 PGA Tour events since he turned pro about a year ago.

“It had to happen,” a composed Woods said. “I can’t play my entire career without missing a cut.”

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Qualifier Walter Hall shot a six-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over Vicente Fernandez after the first round of the Bank One Classic at Lexington, Ky.

Hall, who turned 50 on June 12, had five birdies on the front nine and finished the day by making a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-five 18th at Kearney Hill Links.

Al Geiberger, Jay Sigel, Bunky Henry, Miller Barber and Frank Conner were tied at 68.

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Cindy Schreyer sank a 50-foot birdie putt on the final hole to earn a share of the first-round lead in the LPGA Safeway Championship at Portland, Ore.

Schreyer was tied with Dana Dormann at six-under 66 on the par-71, 6,300-yard Columbia-Edgewater Country Club course.

Twenty-three golfers were within three shots of the lead.

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The European Ryder Cup committee brushed aside Miguel Angel Martin’s request to be reinstated to the team, and Martin said the matter now is in the hands of his attorneys.

Martin, a Spaniard who has not played a competitive round since July 18 and had wrist surgery Aug. 5, was removed from the team Tuesday when he said he had not recovered sufficiently to play 18 holes to prove his fitness.