Jason has his Day at British Open

All hail Jason Day after Australian golf's hottest prospect defied huge odds to make
the British Open cut on Saturday.
As some of the game's greatest names perished around him, the 22-year-old major
debutant overcame brutal conditions at St Andrews to advance with a 36-hole halfway
total of one over par.
Day said after his first-round one-under 71 that he was hoping to challenge himself
in the "worst weather possible to see how my game holds up".
The Old Course duly delivered, with wind gusts of up to 60kph blowing former
champions Ernie Els, Tom Watson, Padraig Harrington, Mark O'Meara and Paul Lawrie
out of the tournament.
But even as record-setting first-round leader Rory McIlroy followed up his
spectacular 63 with a disastrous 80, Day displayed courage and resilience beyond his
years to negotiate his first 15 holes in two over on Friday before play was
suspended due to fading light at 9.45pm local time.
After just three-and-a-half hours' sleep, the fearless youngster returned to the
course at 5.30am Saturday to par the last three holes to bravely secure further
weekend action.
"First cut, first major - I'm thrilled," Day told AAP.
"It was a big challenge yesterday. Not too sure what the number is but I'd like to
see how many made the cut from the afternoon groups.
"It was tough but it was enjoyable and that's what you expect when you come to the
British Open.
"Hopefully I can play a little better over the next couple of days and move up the
leaderboard."
Day, who in May became the youngest-ever Australian winner on the US PGA Tour when
he triumphed at the Byron Nelson Championship in Texas, resumed his second round on
Saturday right on the cut line, with no margin for error.
He cooly holed a 12-footer for par on the 16th before brilliantly salvaging par on
the treacherous Road Hole No.17.
Day's tee shot found the rough on the left, but he hacked out and then made a rare
up-and-down - this time draining a six-foot slider - to keep the dream alive.
The Queenslander was terribly unlucky not to finish at even par after his six-foot
birdie putt on the par-4 18th horse-shoed around the back of the cup.
"The putt I hit was a good putt but it looked like it hit something right at the end
and turned real hard right," Day said.
"Still really happy. I just really tried to grind it out. My head was pretty much
into it when I got out here today."
All up, six Australians made the Open cut, with Adam Scott leading the way at two
under - 10 strokes behind surprise leader Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa.
Peter Senior, Marc Leishman and John Senden all progressed at even par, with Robert
Allenby on one over alongside Day.
Geoff Ogilvy was the highest-profile Australian to miss the cut, the former US Open
champion slumping to six over after a horror second-round 78.
The 150th anniversary Open is also over for Michael Sim (+5), Kurt Barnes (+8),
Mathew Goggin (+9), Cameron Percy (+11) and Ewan Porter (+15).



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