British Open 2010 Cut Line: Which Big Names Missed the Cut and Why

Phil Mickelson had an unlucky draw that left him more prone to weather effects than those with an earlier start.

But his birdie to close out his Friday round saved him from being cut heading into the weekend.

As the winds picked up, those at even and one-over par were saved as the elements sent scores plummeting. Players like Steve Stricker, Scott Verplank, Colin Montgomery and Stewart Cink will live to play another day.

Others were not as fortunate, as they found probably found themselves cursing St. Andrews, the weather, their tee time or a host of other excuses for why they did not make the cut.

Seeing Louis Oosthuizen atop the leaderboard is certainly a surprise heading into the weekend, but here are ten guys who surprised for all the wrong reasons at this year’s British Open Championship.

10. Rickie Fowler (+2)

We'll give some love to one of the young guys to start out this slideshow.

It was a Jekyll-and-Hyde performance for Fowler at St. Andrews. The strange thing is that his play seemed to be opposite of the rest of the field.

He played very well on Friday, a day when most people fell apart. His 67 was keyed by four birdies on the front nine.

But you just have to look at the end of his first round to see why he made this list. Fowler shot himself in the foot with consecutive double bogeys on 16 and 17 after a bogey.

The 21-year-old is still coming into his own after turning pro last year. This was his first British Open appearance. He is ranked 37th in the world.

9. KJ Choi (+6)

Choi dug himself a deep hole on Thursday with a double and a bogey in the first four holes, and he really didn't find a way to recover after that.

With the shift in the weather on Friday, it seemed imperative for most players to have a good start under their belts.

Choi started off nicely on Friday, but reverted to his Thursday form, and didn't get anything going after a pair of birdies in the opening five holes.

The 43rd ranked player in the world is still looking for his first Majors win and first PGA Tour win since 2008.

8. Justin Rose (+3)

Rose took advantage of the favorable conditions on early and started off hot with two straight birdies. The start carried him to a nice 2-under at the end of day one, but he needed a lot more than that to protect him from what was to come Friday.

Rose's game fell apart when the weather picked up, and he couldn't get anything going whatsoever. His lone bright spot was a birdie on five, and his 77 sent him plummeting to the cut list.

Rose has been playing well this season, with a pair of PGA Tour wins. The 16th ranked golfer in the world is still looking for his first major.

7. Kenny Perry (+6)

After a decent day and a 71 on Thursday, Perry was among the throng of people who couldn't get anything going Friday.

Perry wasn't able to manage a single birdie, and put himself out of the running with three bogeys and a double bogey over five holes in the middle of his round.

The 35th ranked golfer in the world is still looking for his first Major. He finished second at the Masters and PGA Championship last season.

6. Angel Cabrera (+5)

Unable to get any big shots to gain momentum, it's not a surprise that Cabrera finds himself going home.

He only managed three shots under par on the course. It's kind of hard to make the cut when you are battling the weather and an off-day.

The 39th ranked golfer in the world is looking for his third Major. He won the Masters last year.

5. Nick Faldo (+9)

After breaking even on Thursday, Faldo absolutely fell apart on Friday.

He was already +4 on the day after the first four holes, and things only got worse from there. There's really not a lot of good to say about this, so we won't try to pile on too much.

Faldo has taken more time off the course as a golf broadcaster in recent years, and he has six Majors to his credit.

4. Tom Watson (+4)

Watson may be getting old and not considered a major player these days, but with eight Majors under his belt, you have to give the guy his due.

Watson started off very poorly on Thursday, with three straight bogeys after the first hole. His solid play the rest of the way kept him alive, though.

But a double bogey and three more bogeys pretty much killed his chances on Friday. Watson really couldn't make any big shots, and only totaled four birdies before getting cut.

3. Jim Furyk (+6)

The fifth-ranked golfer in the world could not find consistency at St. Andrews.

On a day when everyone’s scores were dropping like flies, he didn’t play terrible, going one-over par. He started off on the right foot with a birdie, but every time he did something good, he followed it up with a bogey.

Ultimately, Furyk’s opening-round 77 killed his chances. He hit three straight bogeys and six bogeys in nine holes in the middle of the first day.

The fifth-ranked golfer in the world is still looking for his second Major victory.

2. Padraig Harrington (+6)

Harrington is sitting on the outside of the cut line due to his poor starts on each of the first two days.

He led off with a double bogey on the first hole and bogey on the third in round one. On Friday, he started off with a bogey and double bogey on the first two holes.

He was considered one of the favorites heading into St. Andrews, and for good reason: He won back-to-back Open Championships in 2007 and 2008.

Unfortunately, the 15th ranked player in the world will not make it three out of four years.

1. Ernie Els (+4)

Els was a favorite heading in and looked to be in decent position after a 69 on Thursday.

You can count the South African among many players who lost a fight with the elements on Friday, as he had four bogeys on the front nine to send him home.

He would have been the first name that came to mind when someone said a South African was leading the field, but instead it is Oosthuizen, an Els protégé.

At least the sixth-ranked golfer in the world will have a rooting interest while watching at home.

Els is still looking for his first Major victory since winning the British Open in 2002.