Jason Day-Adam Scott team miss cut, other International teams fare well at Zurich Classic of New Orleans

AVONDALE, La. – Adam Scott and Jason Day entered this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans with high hopes of showing why they should be partners in December at the Presidents Cup in their home country of Australia.

Unfortunately, they failed to make the cut. An even-par 72 in the second round of Foursomes play left them at 7 under, one shot outside the cut line when Round 2 finally ended Saturday morning. Two late bogeys – Scott missed a 6-1/2 par putt at the 16th and a 3-footer at the 17th – proved costly.

“Just unfortunate that we bogeyed 16 and 17 today,” Day said. “It was hard. There’s no excuses. We did have the tougher side of the draw, but there’s no excuses.

“We just needed to come out and play well, and unfortunately I think we just didn’t have the momentum going.”

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Scott, too, was disappointed, noting that he and Day failed to build on their 7-under 65 in the first round of Four-balls.

“The Foursomes format can be tough,” Scott said. “… We missed greens from the fairway and then our short games were under pressure. It’s tough to get a rhythm going, and we were grinding hard and didn’t quite get it going.”

Five of the 14 partnerships in which both players represented International Team countries made the cut in a week in which Captain Ernie Els pinpointed as a key building block for his team’s chances against the Americans. Els and fellow South African Trevor Immelman, one of his assistants, did not make the cut.

Below is a quick look at how the other 13 teams fared after 36 holes, with each player’s International Team points ranking in parentheses. The top eight in points after the TOUR Championship will automatically qualify for the Presidents Cup, with Els making four Captain’s Picks at a date closer to the December event.

MADE CUT

JUSTIN HARDING (7)/BRANDEN GRACE (15) – The South Africans followed up their 65 in Four-balls with a 4-under 68 in Foursomes, leaving them at 11 under, three shots off the lead. That’s the highest position of any International duo entering the third round.

COREY CONNERS (12)/MACKENZIE HUGHES (79) – The Canadians had a roller-coaster second round with eight birdies and four bogeys, with their 68 moving them to 9 under.

SHUBHANKAR SHARMA (T-80)/ANIRBAN LAHIRI (172) – The duo from India made two birdies in their last five holes to sneak inside the cutline at 8 under, including Sharma’s 13-footer at the fifth hole.

SUNGJAE IM (13)/WHEE KIM (245) – Kim converted birdie opportunities that Im set up with his irons, and the South Korean duo survived a double-bogey at the 17th to shoot 72 and 8 under through two rounds.

JULIAN ETULAIN (128)/ANDRES ROMERO (288) – Although neither is close to competing for a 2019 Presidents Cup spot, they showed some mettle with birdies on two of their last three holes to make the cut with a 3-under 69.

MISSED CUT

JASON DAY (6)/ADAM SCOTT (11) – Those two late bogeys were painful in their even-par 72.

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN (2)/CHARL SCHWARTZEL (72) – The South African veterans started their Foursomes round with lost balls on consecutive tee shots en route to a quintuple bogey 9. Their 6-over 78 tied for the worst score of the second round.

ABRAHAM ANCER (9)/JHONATTAN VEGAS (23) – Ancer (Mexico) just missed on a 21-foot eagle putt at the 18th that would’ve made the cut. Shot 2-under 70 in the second round..

SI WOO KIM (10)/SANGMOON BAE (73) – The South Koreans struggled in the middle of their round, dropping five shots in a six-hole stretch.

DANNY LEE (25)/SUNG KANG (35) – Ended the second round with two birdies but their 72 wasn’t enough.

DYLAN FRITTELLI (43)/JOAQUIN NIEMANN (117) – An early double-bogey and a seven-hole stretch with five bogeys sealed their fate.

CARLOS ORTIZ (71)/SEBASTIAN MUNOZ (146) – Shot a pair of 71s but played better in Foursomes than Four-balls.

JOHN SENDEN (T-255)/ROD PAMPLING (T-440) – The veterans from Australia aren’t in consideration for Presidents Cup spots, but they finished strong with four second-nine birdies in shooting 70.