Friday Cut Line: THE PLAYERS

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Brian Bateman missed the cut in his second attempt at THE PLAYERS. (Getty Images)

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida -- Standing on the 15th tee, Rich Beem had it made. He was 1-under for the tournament with four holes to play.

Then he was blown away. Literally.

Beem played the last four holes 9-over, including a quadruple bogey 8 at the 18th, to miss the 36-hole cut at THE PLAYERS. And Beemer, who shot 152, was hardly alone.

Brian Bateman birdied 15 and 16, then finished bogey-double to miss the 3-over cut by two shots and former champion Justin Leonard bogeyed two of the last five holes and missed several short putts to head home at plus-5 too. Former champion Fred Funk shot a second-round 77 to missed the cut at 151 and Vijay Singh continued his no-luck string here, missing the cut by a shot at 148.

In case you're wondering, a total of 74 players made the cut at 3-over 147 at the wind-blown Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. This is the 14th straight PGA TOUR event -- excluding World Golf Championships -- Accenture Match Play and World Golf Championships -- CA Championship, which have no cuts -- this year where the cut has been at even par or higher.

The last TOUR event to have a below-par cut was the FBR Open, where the 36-hole cut was 2-under 140.

Other notables missing the cut included defending British Open champion Padraig Harrington (150), Scott Verplank, who bogeyed the last three holes to shoot 149, Lee Westwood (151), Steve Stricker (153) and Zach Johnson (155).

But a few others rallied to make the cut. Jonathan Byrd birdied his last three holes to make the cut on the number and Jason Bohn and Jose Coceres birdied 18 to do the same. Two-time champ Davis Love III, hampered by an infected finger, bogeyed his final hole -- the ninth -- but also made the cut at 147.