Ireland's Rory McIlroy [Source: Reuters]

World number two Rory McIlroy and three-time winner Tiger Woods led a long list of former champions who missed the British Open cut after a windswept second round at Royal Troon.

McIlroy, who lifted the Claret Jug in 2014 at Hoylake, made a premature exit from the year’s final major after struggling to an opening 78 and following up with a 75.

The cut fell at six-over 142 with 80 players advancing to Saturday’s third round.

A missed birdie putt from five feet at the last summed up a disappointing week for McIlroy, who had been bidding to end a decade-long wait for his fifth major title after his late meltdown cost him the chance to win last month’s U.S. Open.

Woods, who competed in all four majors this year for the first time since 2019 after struggling with his health in recent years, missed the cut by a wide margin after scores of 79 and 77.

Other former champions who missed the cut were Australian Cameron Smith, the 2022 winner at St Andrews, Italy’s Francesco Molinari, Swede Henrik Stenson, who won the previous Open at Troon in 2016, Americans Zach Johnson, Stewart Cink, Justin Leonard and Todd Hamilton, and South African Louis Oosthuizen.

Also missing out after withdrawing from the tournament before the second round were twice winner Ernie Els of South Africa and American John Daly, the 1995 champion at St Andrews.

Other big names who failed to make the cut were Sweden’s world number four Ludvig Aberg, ninth-ranked American Bryson DeChambeau, the U.S. Open champion, and Norway’s world number seven Viktor Hovland.

Seven players ranked in the world’s top 12 made an early exit from Royal Troon.