Masters misery for golfer Bubba Watson

Bubba Watson was set to miss the cut at the Masters for the first time on Friday, struggling to a second straight 75 that left him at 6-over on the Augusta National course he adores.

The 37-year-old left-hander from Florida won green jackets in 2012 and 2014, both times in fine fashion, and many believed he could make it three even-year wins this year.

But despite fine form on the PGA Tour of late, he never quite got to grips with the course as breezy conditions knocked him out of sync on both days.

"Very disappointing. Got to wait a year to attack it again," he said.

"The golf course beat me this year and so I've just got to improve, try to get better around this place.

"I hit the ball well, just didn't get the kicks or the bounces that I needed to, to make the putts and make more birdies and less bogeys."

Friday's round was a struggle from the start to the finish for the Ryder Cup player.

He dropped a shot to start with and had three bogeys in a row from the fourth hole to go out in 39.

That left him with a mountain to climb to have a chance of making the cut and another two bogeys at the 10th and 12th spelled the end for him as he looked uncomfortable and distracted.

Watson did have the possible excuse that he had not been feeling well coming into Augusta, but he refused to use that as a crutch.

"The illness is a sinus infection and allergies and, yes, I'm still dealing with it right now," he said.

"It affected me, but if I was in perfect health, I probably still could have missed the cut.

"I can't predict what I would have done if I would have been 100 percent. That's neither here nor there.

"This is the toughest conditions I've seen this golf course since I've been here and so I've got to get better in the wind around this golf course.

"I've got to trust more things and hopefully I learn from that and if it does it next year, I'll be a little bit better."

Watson will remain the top-ranking American in the world despite missing the cut and he said that he would be eager to represent his country at the Rio Olympics in August.

"Right now I'm on the team, but I've got to keep playing good to stay on the team. But, yeah, it would be an honor to play for the US Olympic team. It would be a thrill."