'Disaster': Tiger Woods at centre of 'ugly' US Open drama

Tiger Woods has joined several other multiple major champions on the US Open scrap heap after a brutal second round at New York's infamous Winged Foot course.

Patrick Reed followed up his opening 66 with an even-par 70 to be one stroke ahead of Bryson DeChambeau (68), with fellow Americans Justin Thomas (73) and Harris English (70) and Spaniard Rafa Cabrera Bello (70) two strokes off the pace.

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Cameron Smith's three-over-par 73 left him at four over for the tournament as the best-placed Aussie, one ahead of Adam Scott (74) and two clear of Jason Day and Lucas Herbert, who both made the halfway cut right on the number.

However, it was a second disastrous round in a row for 15-time major champion Woods that saw him fail to make the US Open cut.

Curiously, the first time Woods failed to make the weekend at a major during his professional career was at the same venue 14 years ago.

The American superstar wasn't the only big name to fall during a chaotic second round, with Jordan Spieth and veteran Phil Mickelson's tournaments also ending prematurely.

For Woods, there was an uncomfortable sense of de ja vu as he made two successive double bogeys on the same hole, due to scuffed chip shots.

The 44-year-old's game was spotty coming in, and if he had to play Winged Foot every week of his pro career he might still be looking for his first win.

He missed fairways and he missed putts. He likely missed the thousands of fans who would have cheered his every move and maybe even have gotten him moving in the right direction, had they been allowed to attend.

About the only thing he didn’t miss was the private jet that was his ticket away from the nightmare that, for him, is Winged Foot.

Woods has played the course eight times in three major championships, missing the cut twice and shooting a combined 29-over-par.

In the second round he struggled to break 80, which is pretty much the mark where things start to get embarrassing.

Viewers were in a state of shock watching Woods’ second round train wreck unfold.

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Not that Woods was alone with his 7-over 77. Spieth made a mess of everything with a second-round 81 that sent him packing.

And Mickelson, who at the age of 50 might consider playing the PGA Tour Champions more often in the future. Mickelson, who famously made double bogey on the final hole in 2006 to throw away an Open, shot 79 in his opening round and never looked back.

Winged Foot is brutally tough, so exacting with gnarly rough and treacherous greens that just six players are under par halfway through. If history is any indication, the USGA will tighten the screws even more on the weekend and whoever can find a way to be at even par at the end will end up hoisting the Open trophy.

Still, Woods has played U.S. Opens his entire career. He’s beaten tough courses down, winning three times, including on one leg at Torrey Pines in 2008.

But he never gave himself a chance at Winged Foot.

"On this golf course it's imperative that you hit fairways, and I did not do that," Woods said.

At the age of 44 Woods is certainly still capable of making a ton of birdies. And his Masters win last year was one for the ages.

Put him on a tough course he doesn’t know as well as Augusta National, though, and things seem to get off track quickly. Not only was he lapped by much of the field this week but playing partner Justin Thomas beat him by 12 strokes.

You could almost hear the groans of dismay from the fans who weren’t there.

"It's frustrating that I’m not going to be here for the weekend and be able to compete for this great championship," Woods said.

"It feels like the way the golf course is changing, is turning, that anybody who makes the cut has the opportunity to win this championship. I didn’t get myself that opportunity."

with agencies