Ryan Fox and Daniel Hillier have come up short of securing tee times in the weekend rounds at The Open Championship, both missing the cut by one shot.
The Kiwi duo finished at two-over-par through two rounds at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, which left them hovering around theprojected cut line as the second round was completed.
The top 70 and ties made the cut, and Fox and Hillier were in a share of 71st late in the round, which meant they needed others still on the course to drop down the leaderboard to extend the cut.
However, the official cut line ended up staying at one-over, leaving the Kiwi duo on the wrong side of it.
It ends Fox’s run of 10-straight cuts in major championships,with his first missed cut at one of golf’s four biggest tournaments since The Open Championship in 2022.
Hillier was unable to repeat his efforts from last year’s Open, where he finished in a tie for 19th. The Wellingtonian has had a strong campaign on the DP World Tour so far this season, but has now missed the cut in his last three tournaments.
For Fox, the bulk of the damage was done in his first round, where he shot a four-over 75, which included five bogeys in his first six holes.
He bounced back well in the second round, finishing two-under for the day with an eagle and two birdies, however two bogeys were enough to see him fall just short of the weekend.
It was the opposite for Hillier. The 26-year-old finished at even par on day one and looked like he would at least hold that mark through the second round, before two bogeys in his last three holes essentially ended his tournament.
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler shot a stunning seven-under 64 to storm into the lead at 10-under. Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick is a shot back in second, while 2023 Open Championship winner Brian Harman sits in a share of third at eight-under alongside China’s Haotong Li.
