India's Jeev Milkha Singh scrambled to a two-over-par 74 at the US Masters to safely make the halfway cut on Friday, but it was the end of the road for Liang Wen-chong and an injured Prayad Marksaeng.
Singh, the Asian Tour's number one in 2006, battled tough playing conditions at Augusta National Golf Club, turning in 35 before dropping three bogeys, including two at the notorious Amen Corner.
Asia's number one Liang carded a 78 to bow out in what is his Masters debut while Thailand's Prayad retired after nine holes with a back injury. Korean star K.J. Choi fired a 75 to make the weekend rounds right on the 148 mark.
Singh's gutsy performance saw him maintain his perfect Masters record where he is now two-for-two for cuts made in the year's opening Major. Nine shots behind leader Trevor Immelman of South Africa, he will enter the weekend rounds in tied 21st position with the likes of US Open champion Angel Cabrera and British Open winner Padraig Harrington.
The Indian is determined to move into the top-15 by the end of the week to ensure a return trip to next year's Masters.
"I drove the ball poorly. I was disappointed with that and lost confidence on the back nine. I tried to hit it too hard with my driver and I think that's what got me. It was one of those things. My rhythm became too quick," said Singh.
"I'm still alive for the weekend and we'll see what happens. I'm pretty happy with the invitation (from Augusta National) and if I can finish in the top-15 or top-20, I think that will justify that. That's the goal now. I don't feel like I have to justify the invitation but if I can do it, I will feel good about it."
After saving par from 12 feet on the seventh hole, Singh got to red numbers with a two-putt birdie on the par five eighth hole. But he gave the shot back on the 11th hole, the first of a three-hole stretch that forms the notorious Amen Corner, after sending an errant drive into the pine trees.
Singh hit an exquisite approach into the par three 12th but failed to convert the six-foot birdie chance and was disappointed to drop another shot on the par five 13th hole when he sent a lob wedge approach into the greenside bunker.
"I was disappointed with 13. I had a lob wedge in and turned it into a bogey. I was trying on every hole. I had a goal of not shooting over par on any four days but I did that today," said Singh.
"I missed some good birdie chances but I made a few putts too. So no real complaints. I'm here for the weekend and I'm going to give it a go. I'm comfortable on the golf course and I love the way it sets up."
Liang, who along with Singh and Prayad were invited to the prestigious Masters, dropped three bogeys on each nine as he signed off with a 78 and a 10-over-par 154 total.
He said the challenging Augusta National course simply got the better of him. "Overall, this is a good learning experience. There was good and bad in my play. This is one of the biggest Majors and I've seen a lot and learnt a lot from this week," said Liang.
Starting the day at four-over-par, Liang set himself a target of shooting an under par round to give himself a chance of qualifying for the weekend play. But early bogeys on the first and third holes left him with a mountain to climb.
"There was this invisible pressure that got me. You need to be at your best. At the start of the day, I knew I needed to shoot under par but my ball striking wasn't good and it affected my confidence.
"I would like to come back some day. This is a special tournament and I want to thank Augusta National again for the invitation. Through this experience, there is more to learn and improve."
