ABU DHABI — The world's top two golfers, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, both missed the cut in their first tournament of the season at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship Friday. McIlroy finished well outside the cut line, while playing partner Woods appeared to have squeezed into the weekend before he was hit with a two-stroke penalty for a rules infringement that sunk his challenge. By the time the dust had settled, England's Justin Rose was the leader at the halfway stage at eight-under par after a 69, with rising Danish star Thorbjorn Olesen (69), Jamie Donaldson of Wales (70) and Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (67) all a further stroke back. But it was the astonishing double demise of McIlroy and Woods that was the story of the day. Playing for the first time in competition with his new Nike clubs after signing a mega-money, long-term deal with the US sportswear giant, the 23-year-old McIlroy clearly failed to get the hang of his new sticks. Starting the day well down the field after an opening 75, McIlroy had three straight pars but that failed to steady his ship and three bogeys in the next four holes sent him spiralling to six over, well outside the projected cut line. He birdied eight and nine to pick up some hope, but bogeys at the 10th and 14th all but sealed his fate in a tournament where he was runner-up last year with his old Titleist clubs. Another wild drive into desert scrub at the last summed up his day as he eventually came in with another 75, which left him tied for 99th position and with no hope of making it through to the weekend. The last cut McIlroy missed was at the US Open in San Francisco last June, which ended a run of three missed cuts in four tournaments. Playing partner and Nike stablemate Woods also struggled to find his game as he bogeyed four of the first five holes. But the 37-year-old world No.2 produced a battling back nine with three birdies in a row from the 14th to get back to level par. A bogey after another wild drive at the 17th popped him over par, but he shot regulation on the last to come in with a 73. That left him at one over for the tournament, with the cut projected at two over. But it was then announced that he had been hit by a two-stroke penalty for a rules infringement in sand at the fifth hole, turning a five into a seven. That was enough to seal his fate. Kokrak flies high Long-hitting American Jason Kokrak recorded two eagles in ideal scoring conditions as he charged into a three-way tie for the lead in Thursday's opening round at the Humana Challenge at La Quinta, California. While twice former champion Phil Mickelson struggled with his putting en route to a level-par 72, Kokrak fired a flawless 63 at La Quinta Country Club, one of three venues hosting the pro-am celebrity event. In-form PGA Tour rookie Russell Henley, who won last week's Sony Open in Hawaii, was a further stroke back after a 64, along with fellow American Doug LaBelle II and Australians Aaron Baddeley and Greg Chalmers. — Agencies
