Mixed fortunes for the two New Zealand golfers in the second round of the US Open in New York.
Danny Lee teeing off during the second round of the US Open Photo: AFP
Danny Lee has made the cut at the major championship event, despite carding a five-over par 75 on day two.
Lee has dropped 11 places down the leaderboard into a share of 33rd place.
But the tournament is over for Ryan Fox who struggled in the windy conditions at Winged Foot to card a 15-over par 85 in his second round.
Fox has finished near the foot of the leaderboard at 19-over.
American Patrick Reed leads at four-under par, a shot clear of compatriot Bryson DeChambeau.
"I feel like the game is where it needs to be. I feel good," said world number 10 Reed. "I just need to tighten a few things up here or there, but the short game is sharp, and when I play around a place like this, that's what you need."
Reed, who started the day one shot back of overnight leader Justin Thomas, grabbed the outright lead with a birdie on his final hole, the par-five ninth, where his shot from a greenside bunker settled five feet from the cup.
Unlike the first round when 21 players finished under par in soft conditions, Winged Foot proved a much sterner test on Friday as DeChambeau, Bubba Watson (69) and Hideki Matsuyama (69) were the only players from a 144-player field to break par.
DeChambeau, who has turned heads this year with his new physique and prodigious length off the tee, went out in the morning wave and muscled his way around a scorecard-shredding Winged Foot course like few others can.
Patrick Reed playing a bunker shot during the second round of the US Open Photo: AFP
The world number nine finished his round with a monstrous eagle at the par-five ninth hole where, after a 380-yard drive, he stuffed a pitching wedge to six feet.
"Confidence is at an all-time high right now, driving it well, iron play is fantastic, wedging is getting better each and every day, and I'm putting it like I know I can," said DeChambeau, whose best major finish was a share of fourth place at this year's PGA Championship.
Thomas (73), Spain's Rafa Cabrera Bello (70) and Harris English (70) were all two shots off the pace heading into the weekend of a tournament that was originally scheduled for mid-June but postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Masters champion Tiger Woods (77) missed the cut for the eighth time in his last 15 majors after a round during which he made five bogeys and two double-bogeys over a miserable 11-hole run.
"Physically it was frustrating that I didn't drive the ball as well as I needed to," said Woods.
"Iron play was pretty much the way it has been. It's been good, and I finally putted well. But on this golf course it's imperative that you hit fairways, and I did not do that."
Phil Mickelson's latest bid to complete the career Grand Slam of golf's four majors fell apart as the six-times runner-up carded a 74 and missed the cut after posting one of the worst 36-hole scores of his major career.
Among the others to miss the cut were defending champion Gary Woodland, PGA Championship winner Collin Morikawa, and top-20 players Tyrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Justin Rose.
- RNZ/Reuters
