Scotland's leading professionals were in the doldrums last night after 11 of the 14 in the BMW PGA Championship missed the cut and the others made it with little to spare.
In an event in which Scots have traditionally performed well, the rookie of the year Marc Warren and 2001 winner Andrew Oldcorn were a distant nine shots behind leaders Justin Rose and Angel Cabrera and the best of a despondent group.
Colin Montgomerie, a three-time winner, trudged off the final green after a 76 thinking he had missed the cut for the first time in 18 campaigns, but he scraped in on the mark after a seven-hour wait as the guillotine fell at two-over-par 146.
He had birdies at the closing two par-5s, but he thought he needed to hole a 25-foot eagle putt at the last to squeeze in. When it slipped past on the low side his shoulders slumped in despair. "I don't have to say anything I'm afraid," he said.
Retief Goosen, one of his playing partners, who was four shots worse, said Montgomerie was punished for a few bad drives. "There were a couple of hooks. That's not like him, and he didn't hole any putts," he said.
Not one of the Scots was under par at halfway and cumulatively the 14 were a depressing 86 over. It would be invidious to criticise. There is a determination and dedication among them yet there is no doubt that individually and collectively they are not performing to their known abilities.
Of the regular European Tour players, Warren, Montgomerie, Alastair Forsyth, Paul Lawrie, Andrew Coltart, Gary Orr, Stephen Gallacher, Sandy Lyle and Scott Drummond are all tournament winners.
In this particular event, Scottish winners in the field this week include Montgomerie, Oldcorn and Drummond, and as recently as last year Orr and Coltart were both joint sixth.
For Forsyth it was the end of a great run of making the cut in nine tournaments in a row.
He missed out by two after suffering the indignity of five-putting the par-5 fourth for an 8.
Only four Scots qualified for the Open at Hoylake last year, a record low, and all missed the cut. Since then the only ray of light for Scottish golf has been Warren's maiden win in the Scandinavia Masters.
Rose, playing in England for the first time in three years, consolidated his opening 66 with a 70 yesterday for an eight-under aggregate.
He was later joined by 37-year-old Argentinian Cabrera, whose 66 was set in motion by an eagle 2 at the first where he holed out from 173 yards with an eight iron. The winner here two years ago had a further four birdies and no dropped shots.
One shot back is another Englishman, Ross Fisher, who contended for the Dubai Desert Classic alongside Ernie Els and Tiger Woods.
The 26-year-old finished birdie, eagle, birdie for a 67 over a course where he learned his golf. He holed from six feet at the 16th, hit his three-iron second 270 yards to three feet at the par-5 17th, and finished off with a pitch and putt for a 4.
Padraig Harrington, Europe's No.1 and winner of the Irish Open last week, had a second 69 yesterday to lie two off the pace and keep alive his hopes of earning a 1m bonus if he wins again on Sunday.
The bonus is underwritten by Celtic owner Dermot Desmond, and is open only to a back-to-back winner of the two events.
Harrington was viewing it with equanimity: "If I don't win the bonus I haven't lost a million. If I win it, I win a million. So it's always a positive.
"
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without is prohibited.
