NOTEBOOK

AUGUSTA – Once the second round was completed yesterday, there were a number of surprising names that ended up on the wrong end of the cut line, but none was more shocking than David Duval, who entered the week as one of the heavy favorites.

Duval’s last four Masters have gone like this: a solo second-place finish last year, a tie for third in 2000, a tie for sixth in 1999 and a tie for second in 1998.

Duval shot 4-over in two rounds this week, missing the cut by one shot.

Other disappointments included Jim Furyk (6-over), 1998 champion Mark O’Meara (5-over), two-time U.S. Open winner Lee Janzen (5-over) and Mark Calcavecchia, who four-putted No. 15 after having a makable eagle putt.

On the plus-side of the cut was Scott Verplank, who made it through after missing it in his previous six tries. Two-time winner Tom Watson (3-over) made the cut after missing it the previous four years. Greg Norman (3-over) made it after getting a special invitation to play.

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Toru Taniguchi, who was paired with Arnold Palmer, had an interesting way of handling the huge galleries following Palmer.

“I was thinking they were my fans,” Taniguchi said. “I was pretending they were clapping for me.”

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Poor Nick Faldo. In a span of two days, each of his playing partners withdrew from the Masters.

Before the first round, Hal Sutton withdrew because of a pulled muscle in his right side. And then before Friday’s second round, his other partner, Frank Lickliter, withdrew because of a hand injury.

“Don’t touch me,” Faldo joked yesterday after finishing his second round at 2-under. “Something might happen to you.”

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Davis Love III’s disappointing second-round 75 after his first-round-leading 67 should not have been such a surprise. No player since Ben Crenshaw in 1984 has led after the first round and gone on to win the Masters.

Past champions Bernhard Langer extended his streak for making the Masters cut.

Langer, who’s won two Green Jackets, made his 19th in a row, the longest current streak. He stood a 1-over entering the third round.