Rory, Ryo and more teen spirit

AUGUSTA — Do you know where your high school-aged teens have been hanging out this spring break?

The beach?

The mall?

Sleeping in 'til noon?

Wake them up and suggest they gain inspiration from three Masters competitors not yet born in 1989 when Nick Faldo won the first of his back-to-back green jackets.

The Augusta teen trio:

--Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland. He is 19. Looks 15. Pouted like someone 13 on Friday after a triple-bogey on 18. But generally plays with the poise of a 31-year-old tour veteran and made the cut at 1 over. McIlroy was nearly disqualified for kicking sand in a trap, a controversy that required a four-hour deliberation.

--Ryo Ishikawa of Japan. At 17 years, 6 months and 23 days old, became the second-youngest player in Masters history behind only Tommy Jacobs, who was 17 years and 1 month old in 1952. Turned pro in 2008 and competes on the Japan Golf Tour.

--Danny Lee, a native South Korean who lives in New Zealand. Only 18, he qualified for the Masters by winning the 2008 U.S. Amateur. Plans to turn pro next week and give up his U.S. Open and British Open exemptions.

This is the first Masters for all three, and won't be the last.

A 6-putt

"I enjoyed my time here but I wasn't really happy about what was going on at the end," Ishikawa said through an interpreter after missing the cut with a second-round 77 (6-over 150). "I kind of felt that my practicing wasn't enough."

Things are sure to improve. The son of a banker, Ishikawa's private practice facility near Tokyo is seeded with Augusta National-style bentgrass.

By the way, Ishikawa is "Ryo" to

you and me, "Hanikami Oji" to friends and family.

That's "Bashful Prince" in Japanese.

Poor Danny Lee. He made noise at the turn Friday with an eagle-3 on No. 8 and a birdie-3 on No. 9 to climb to even par.

But he completely fell apart on No. 10 with a rare quintuple bogey, a 9 on the lovely 495-yard, par 4 "Camellia" hole.

Six putts.

"I played really well for the first nine holes, and I wasn't really playing bad," said Lee, whose mother was a golf pro in South Korea. "But the greens were just so difficult. I think I have to learn how to putt on the fast greens."

Triple-bogey rant

A second-round 81 left Lee leaving Augusta at 11-over.

"After that (No. 10 hole) it was really hard to get back to where I was," he said. "You know, like normal Danny Lee."

McIlroy, bright-eyed and bushy-haired and the youngest player in the World Golf Ranking top 50, grinned his way through much of his second-round 73. He played with Ishikawa and Anthony Kim. The imaginative grouping showcased the two teens and made the 23-year-old Kim the wise old man in the threesome.

Kim carded a Masters-record 11 birdies Friday. But he was behind McIlroy on the scoreboard most of the round.

Sadly, McIlroy triple-bogeyed the par-4 18th and stormed into the clubhouse, refusing to speak with reporters.

Kids these days.

So smart.

Yet so fragile.

And all some of them do during spring break is sleep in and hang out at the mall.

Reach Gene Sapakoff at gsapakoff@postandcourier.com or 937-5593.