It was a case of what might have been for all the early starters in the third round of The Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes.
While Lee Westwood and Tom Watson were amongst those unable to force their way onto the leaderboard, it was especially frustrating for American Ryder Cup star Rickie Fowler.
Fowler made the halfway cut right on the mark of three over par and was still two over for the championship after 12 holes of his round, but the bare statistics did not tell the full story.
Four birdies in his first ten holes in perfect conditions took Fowler's tally for the week to 12, two more than halfway leader Brandt Snedeker.
However, while Snedeker had also amazingly not carded a single bogey or found even one of Lytham's 206 bunkers to lie ten under, Fowler had regularly found trouble to ruin his hopes of contending for a first Major title.
The 23 year old, who won his first US PGA Tour title earlier this season, had carded seven bogeys, two double bogeys and one triple bogey, with the double bogeys coming on the 18th yesterday and eighth hole today.
Some tough pin positions were helping to keep the scoring in check, with World Number Three Westwood level par for his round and three over for the tournament with two holes to play.
Five-time champion Watson, 62, playing alongside Westwood after extending his own record of being the oldest player to make the cut in The Open, was six over for the day after running up three double bogeys.
Snedeker held a one shot lead over Adam Scott after equalling the lowest halfway total in Open history with rounds of 66 and 64, with Tiger Woods four off the lead after holing a bunker shot for birdie on the 18th yesterday.
The last group were not due out until 3:20pm.
Fowler was unable to find any further birdies, missing a good chance from ten feet on the last, and eventually had to settle for a round of 70 to remain three over, one better than Westwood who carded a 71.
Dutchman Joost Luiten, first out this morning and playing with a marker as the odd man out of the 83 players to make the cut, had returned a 69 to lie two over, but there were few signs of anyone making a big move through the field.
World Number Two Rory McIlroy went to the turn in 37 to fall back to five over, while playing partner Padraig Harrington was level for the day and two over for the tournament.
