Kiwi Ryan Fox will carry the hopes of the entire Australasian region after the Aussie contingent created an unwanted slice of history at the US Open in New York.
For the first time since the 1959 US Open at Winged Foot Golf Club, there is not a single Australian left to contest the final two rounds, Fox (73) finishing one shot inside the cut-line that fell at four-over and saw 72 players advance.
The champion at Los Angeles Country Club three years ago, Wyndham Clark shot 69 in round two to build a four-stroke lead at the halfway mark, another former champion in Matt Fitzpatrick in a share of second with two-time major winner Xander Schauffele and Sam Stevens.
There are no Aussies among them as, on the same day the Socceroos went down 2-0 to the United States at the World Cup, Australia went 0-4 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
Ripper GC teammates Cameron Smith and Lucas Herbert had moments for optimism in the second round, yet both would fall foul of difficult finishes.
With four birdies to go with a double-bogey and a bogey in his opening seven holes, Herbert was one-under on his round through 13 holes but made another double-bogey on 14 and followed it with bogeys at 15 and 16 to fall to seven-over for the championship.
A tap-in birdie at the 18th was little consolation as Smith also ended 36 holes at six-over par.
At a venue where short-game wizardry is a pre-requisite just to make pars, Smith was also making good progress midway through round two. After shooting a five-over 75 on day one, Smith traded a birdie on 13 with a bogey on 15 to turn in even-par for the day.
A superb second shot set up birdie at the par-4 third and then, after an extraordinary second from near the hospitality tents to the left of the fourth fairway, two-putted from 38 feet to save par.
Bringing back memories of his 3-wood out of the bunker at the 2023 Masters, Smith then found the putting surface from 240-plus metres away and in the right fairway bunker at the par-5 fifth, the two-putt birdie getting him back to four-over and a chance of advancing.
But as it gives it more often takes away, Shinnecock striking back with a Smith three-putt from 19 feet on the sixth and a second miss from inside five feet on the eighth green for a round of one-over 71.
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Adam Scott’s 100th consecutive major came to an abrupt end with a second-day 75 consisting of seven bogeys and two birdies, while Min Woo Lee [pictured] could have extended his stay if not for a disastrous four-putt triple-bogey at the par-4 14th.
Tied for 19th a year ago, Fox had to return early on Friday morning to complete his opening round, holing a putt from 10 feet for birdie to lodge an even-par 70. Returning to the 10th tee to start his second round, Fox made a bogey on the 11th but got back to even-par courtesy of a birdie from 22 feet on 12.
A four-putt at the par-5 16th would lead to a double-bogey 7, the 39-year-old having to wait until his penultimate hole for his second and final birdie of the day in a round of three-over 73.
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Round 2 Australasian scores
T-46 Ryan Fox (NZ) 70-73—143
MC Cameron Smith 75-71—146
MC Lucas Herbert 74-72—146
MC Min Woo Lee 74-73—147
MC Adam Scott 73-75—148
WD Jason Day
