Jose Maria Olazabal, Spencer Levin, Y.E. Yang and Stuart Appleby miss halfway cut at Houston Open
Jose Maria Olazabal, Spencer Levin, Yang Yong-eun and Stuart Appleby have lost the halfway cut of the $5.9-million Shell Houston Open, which is in progress at the par-72 Redstone Golf Club in Houston, Texas.
Yang, who is ranked 33rd in the world, stepped on to the Redstone like a rookie and drafted a score of 5-over par 75 while the weather conditions were pleasant on Thursday. Despite being one of the most experienced players on the field and a strong
contender for the Claret Jug at the 2011 Masters, the Korean dropped seven shots in the 18-hole session and could not comprehend the elevated greens of the par-72 course.
He tried making a comeback on Friday, but failed to accomplish the goal. He bogeyed four holes against three birdies and capped the day at one-under par. The aggregate loss, which pushed him out of the realms of par, compelled him to say goodbye to the tournament.
The cut was set at par and the players who failed to touch the mark were asked to pack bags for home.
Amongst all those players was Greenbrier Classic winner Appleby. The Aussie compiled 75 in the first round and 73 in the second. He dropped four shots in the second round against three birdies and slipped out of contention.
Similar performance was delivered by Levin, who led the field in the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The American kicked off with a performance exactly opposite of that and bogeyed four holes in the first round. He did not break his pace and
repeated the game in the second round where he signed for five bogeys and one double-bogey against one birdie.
The player was disturbed with his performance and told the press after the second round that he faltered in putting, which was the essence of playing golf on the Redstone.
The last veteran to disappoint the crowd was Olazabal, captain of the 2012 European Ryder Cup team. The Spaniard fired the highest score of the day at 83, and crashed out of the tournament without making much impression.
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