The Open 2011: Donald and Westwood fail to make cut

Donald dropped seven shots in his second round

The world's top two players, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood, headed a host of big names who failed to make the cut on day two of the Open at Sandwich.

Donald bogeyed the final four holes for a 75 to finish six over while Westwood had a 73 - his four over total one shot beyond the qualifying mark.

Former US Open champion Graeme McDowell carded a 77 and finished five over.

Padraig Harrington, Ian Poulter, Ernie Els, Angel Cabrera and John Daly were others who failed to make the weekend.

Donald made a poor start to his round, three-putting from the back of the first green.

Birdies at the seventh and the 13th appeared to have put him back on the right side of the cut line but successive bogeys from the 15th left him on the edge.

At the 17th his second shot found a deep bunker and he took two to get out, eventually holing a good putt from 15 feet for a bogey five.

Last week's Scottish Open champion then duffed a chip on the final hole to finish with a bogey, missing his first cut since his opening event of the season.

Donald, who finished in a share of 45th place at last month's US Open, said: "I will keep searching and keep trying to put myself in position but the last two majors have been disappointing.

"I believe in my ability but for whatever reason it is not happening. I feel like I have tried everything; I've been playing 10 years and played countless majors and come close a couple of times but I have to figure out a way to contend a bit more.

"I have to figure out a better way to play the Open. I have to do a better job of adapting to conditions on the day."

Westwood began in encouraging fashion, sending his approach to five feet for a birdie at the first to take him back to level for the Championship.

Westwood had another frustrating day on the Sandwich links

But he made a double bogey at the eighth and another shot went at the next as the 38-year-old went out in 38 shots.

Harrington, who won the Open in 2008, ran up two bogeys on each nine, a six at the par five 14th proving decisive as he finished with a 71 and the dreaded four over total.

McDowell was one shot worse after a disastrous round.

The 31-year-old, who recovered on day one with an inward nine of 31, failed to make a birdie in round two and played his first nine in 40, following a double bogey at the ninth.

Two more bogeys on the way home ensured he missed the cut for the third time in five majors since his US Open victory at Pebble Beach in 2010.

"I just can't string four rounds together at the minute, and this week I couldn't even string two together," a dejected McDowell said.

"I'm just not in the right frame of mind right now.

"My technique is all there, everything is all there. There's just something going on. Maybe my expectation level is putting a little too much pressure on myself.

"I need an attitude readjustment. I need to care a bit less about the game.

"I mean, I love this game and I'm working my ass off and I'm working hard and continue to work hard, but I'm just not putting it into play right now. It's disappointing."

The 2002 champion Els had a day to forget with his belly putter, dropping three shots in his opening four holes before a horrendous triple bogey six at the 178-yard par three, the hole Tom Watson had aced earlier in the day.

The 41-year-old South African finished eight over to miss the cut for the second year in succession.

Cabrera, twice a major winner, and only two over after the first round, had four bogeys and two birdies in an eventful six-hole spell on the outward nine but two double bogeys on the back nine ended his hopes of playing on the last two days as he closed three shots outside the cut line.

Poulter made three bogeys in his opening five holes and racked up four more in five holes from the ninth to slip to five over, before two other dropped shots saw him finish with a round of 78 and a seven over total.

Two former Sandwich champions also bowed out, Sandy Lyle finishing nine over after a 76 despite a superb chip-in for a birdie from the rough to the right of the 18th and American Ben Curtis, who won in 2003, but this time was a distant 11 over for two rounds.