Advertisement

Els has streak cut down by Augusta

Share
Times Staff Writers

The Masters cut of eight-over-par 152 was the highest since 1982.

Notables who will not play the weekend include Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Sergio Garcia.

For the record:

12:00 a.m. April 8, 2007 For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday April 08, 2007 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 0 inches; 30 words Type of Material: Correction
Golf: An article in Saturday’s Sports section about the Masters said Retief Goosen was among notable players who missed the cut. Goosen did make the cut at eight over par.

Els’ exit ends his streak of consecutive PGA tour event cuts made at 46. Els, who ended up at 10 over after rounds of 78-76, also ended a streak of 27 cuts made in majors. The last cut he missed was the 1999 PGA Championship.

Fred Couples made the cut on the number, which allowed him to tie Gary Player’s Masters record of 23 straight.

*

Padraig Harrington and Paul Casey shared best round of the day at four-under 68.

Casey shot seven-over 79 on Thursday, so Friday was quite a reversal.

Some golfers, because of the distractions, don’t like playing in the same group with Tiger Woods, but Casey says he doesn’t mind.

Advertisement

“I always enjoy playing with him,” Casey said. “It focuses the mind.... I played against him in the Ryder Cup, but playing with him in a major is very different. His intensity is just another notch and it is fun to witness that.”

Woods praised Casey’s round, played in difficult conditions, calling his 68 “one of the great rounds of golf you’ll ever see.”

Casey, in turn, praised Woods for having the strength to pull up on his backswing on the 13th tee after he was bothered by birds flying overhead and casting a shadow across his ball.

“Of all the things I’ve seen him do, unbelievable,” said Casey. “He was fully loaded on the way down and managed to stop himself, which was pretty impressive.”

*

The top complainer of the day was Lee Westwood, who finished on the cut line at eight-over 152.

Do you like this place?

“Not really, not anymore.”

Has it dealt you too many unfair hands?

“No, it just asks too many questions that there is no answer for.”

Would you have had some answers at one stage?

“It is a bit of a shame because it used to be a shot-maker’s course, but now I don’t think it is.”

Advertisement

So it’s unfair?

“I wouldn’t say it’s unfair, but it is not fair for everybody.”

*

Rich Beem revealed this week what he did with that car he won for making a hole in one at the par-three 14th hole at Riviera in February.

“We put six names in a hat,” Beem told Mike Downey of the Chicago Tribune. “Then we had my 19-month-old daughter, Bailee, take one of them out.”

Beem said the names in the hat included those of his mother, mother-in-law, his maid, caddie and two needy charities.

The winner was ... caddie Bill Heim.

*

Woods’ tournament in July will be played at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., the PGA Tour and Woods’ foundation announced Friday. The $6-million AT&T; National, a 120-player first-year event, benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation.

Congressional was the site of the 1964 and 1997 U.S. Opens and the 1976 PGA Championship. The Kemper Open was played there from 1981 to ’86 and it was the site of the 2005 Booz Allen Classic.

*

Ballesteros, the Masters champion in 1980 and 1983 and a three-time British Open winner, turns 50 on Monday, and is hopeful of playing in the Senior British Open in July at Muirfield, but he has to be healthy and he needs to get his game in shape.

Advertisement

Ballesteros shot 86-80, and his 22-over total was worst in the 96-player field.

*

chris.dufresne@latimes.com

thomas.bonk@latimes.com

Advertisement