DESPITE a spectacular eagle two at the tenth hole at St Andrews to bring him back on track, and one under par, Simon Dyson failed to make the cut in his first Open championship.

After a scorching day on the links, the temperature dropped dramatically last evening as the rookie professional from Malton and Norton fought to stay in the championship.

Starting at level par, his first dropped shot came at the third, a hole he had birdied the day before. Another went at the fifth hole, the 568-yard par five, before he picked up an encouraging birdie three at the ninth.

It was on the Loop at the tenth, where his spirits rose with a superb eagle two, played as a traditional 70-yard Scottish 'bump and run' with a nine iron, straight into the hole.

The crowd roared and this put Dyson firmly back in the hunt for another two days at St Andrews, as some hours before the pundits had already predicted the cut would come at level par.

It was not to be, however, as he again fell foul of the 13th - Dyson's bogey hole in more ways than one. In the eight times he has played this hole in competitive golf he has only managed to par it once.

This time two shots were lost, when he hit one of those small tight pot bunkers with a one iron off the tee, and it took two attempts to get out of the sand.

He had chances for birdies on all the last five holes but in his own words - "I could not buy a putt".

Dyson thus leaves St Andrew's bitterly disappointed.

His departure leaves just one Yorkshireman in the field, Ian Garbutt from Wheatley near Doncaster.

A four under par on Thursday brought the 28-year-old professional into the spotlight and although he dropped three shots in yesterday's round a one under par 143 has left him comfortable for the weekend.

World number one Tiger Woods eased into the weekend with a three-shot lead after following his first-round 67 with a 66 to end on an 11-under-par 133.

Alone in second place is fellow American David Toms, who shot a 67, while Spaniard Sergio Garcia joins US duo Loren Roberts and Steve Flesch one shot back.

Overnight leader, South Africa's Ernie Els, remained on six under after carding a second round par, dropping to joint sixth.

Dyson's round: Hole 1 (par 4), 2 (par 4), 3 (bogey 5), 4 (par 4), 5 (bogey 6), 6 (par 4), 7 (par 4), 8 (par 3), 9 (birdie 30, 10 (eagle 2), 11 (par 3), 12 bogey 5), 13 (double bogey 6), 14 (par 5), 15 (par 4) 16 (par 4), 17 (par 4) 18 (par 4). Total 74. First round 72. Two-round total 146 (2 over par).