OAKMONT, Pa., June 15 (UPI) -- A two-foot birdie putt on his final hole Friday gave Angel Cabrera a one-shot lead and also knocked Phil Mickelson out of the U.S. Open at Oakmont, Pa.
Cabrera shot a 1-over 71 on a day when the average score was 77. He was at 140 for 36 holes, one shot better than Bubba Watson and two ahead of Aaron Baddeley, Justin Rose, Stephen Ames and Niclas Fasth.
Paul Casey, whose 66 was three shots lower than any other score over the opening two days of the tournament, was alone in seventh at 143. Tiger Woods stood at 145.
To make the 36-hole cut, a player had to be among the top 60 -- or within 10 shots of the lead. When Cabrera hit a mammoth drive on the ninth hole and followed it with a sand wedge that almost hopped in the cup, the resulting birdie kept those at 151 from playing on the weekend.
Mickelson was in that group, having shot a 77 Friday while playing in pain with a strained wrist. He had made the cut in the last 30 major championships dating to 1999.
