Former world No.1 Adam Scott is facing almost certain elimination from the US PGA Tour playoffs at the first stop having missed the cut at The Barclays on Friday.
Scott backed up his opening-round 71 with a three-over-73 at Plainfield Country Club in New Jersey to finish at four-over, meaning he won't be around for the weekend.
He was projected to fall outside the top 100 on the season-long points list and therefore out of next week's Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston.
While other players could still falter in weekend play and hand the 2013 Masters champion a late lifeline, all indications are his season is over.
It would represent the first time since 2002 Scott has had a season without a top-three finish on the PGA Tour.
"It's very hard to be consistent for your whole career," Scott told golf writer Bernie McGuire.
"I have played the last four years relatively well... but sometimes it is harder to score than others and it seems to be the case at the moment.
"This game is still also very much a learning curve... and I found it hard to kind to get in balance with anything this year."
Scott only played 15 events this season, taking time off early in the year for the birth of his daughter Bo Vera, a decision he is happy with but one that ultimately may have cost him a bigger run in the playoffs.
But he still had enough chances to secure his place particularly with a late charge in the US Open and with another great chance at the British Open where he led with five holes to play only to crash to 10th.
"Through to the British Open I had played only two of nine weeks and clearly that is not the ideal schedule for being sharp coming back to America," he said.
"So really I was just not ready as I hadn't played enough.
"I left myself a lot of work to do here around a course that you need everything to go right for you."
Scott's next start will now be the President's Cup in October before he is scheduled to tee up at the Japan Open.
He will start the new US PGA Tour season at the HSBC Champions and then return home for the Australian Open before having to abandon his anchored putting style on January 1.
"I just need to get everything back in place and back into the slot and get some consistency," Scott said.
"There's been a lot of fiddling with lots of different things: caddies, equipment, a new family, and everything has time to fall back into place and refocus and come up with a better plan.
"At the moment I am a bit frustrated with the putter as my putting stats have not been good this year and I look forward to next year in doing something I can't be questioned about and moving forward and not having to deal with that issue so much."
