LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England — Not to be outdone, minutes after Tiger Woods holed out from a greenside bunker for birdie on 18 to finish his round, Tom Watson holed a must-make birdie putt that allowed him to make the cut at age 62.
Minutes earlier, Watson had missed a short putt on the 17th hole to fall to 4-over par, one shot out of the cut.
“The ridiculous to the sublime, I guess they say,’’ Watson said. “I’m thinking 2”‘-over is going to be the cut and then I missed the putt at 17 and kind of got a little bit on the pity pot and just kind of rushed the second putt and missed it, and well, I’m out of it now.’’
That’s when an ESPN course reporter told Watson that 3-over might make the cut.
Watson said he “didn’t hit’’ the putt on 18 “where I was aiming’’ and it went in the hole.
“I hate to miss the cut,’’ he said. “I still feel as if I can play certain courses, and this course is a little long for me, but I’m glad to have put myself in position to still be there for the last two rounds on the weekend.’’
* Darren Clarke, the defending champion, missed the cut, shooting 7-over par.
“You can’t compete putting the way I’m putting, so I’m frustrated,’’ he said.
* Woods’ playing partner today is 22-year-old Dane Thorbjorn Olesen, whose 66 got him to 5-under for the tournament.
“I knew if I made a birdie [on 18] I had a chance to play with Tiger,’’ Olesen said after her birdied 18. “That was amazing. He’s been my idol since I was nine or 10 years old.’’
* Another relative unknown in the mix is Thomas Aiken, who has shot a pair of 68s and is 4-under par.
“In 2009 I only lost the Open by three shots, so it’s not foreign territory for me,” he said. “I’ve been there before. I know what to expect.’’
* Rory McIlroy didn’t just sign a glove for the teenager he hit in the head with his tee shot on the 15th hole Thursday. When McIlroy found out Jason Blue, 16, of Bristol, England, was camping out this week, he put him up in a hotel on Thursday night.
“I thought it was the least I could do,’’ McIlroy said. “I didn’t want him sleeping the night in a tent when he’s got a massive gash in the side of his head. I put him and his mate up for the night and gave them a bit of cash to go for a bit of food. I actually tried to get them into the hotel for a couple more nights, but they were just fully booked, so last night was the only night they got to spend.
“It was the least I could do. If someone gave me a big hole in my head, I wouldn’t be too happy.’’