Westwood misses cut in Qatar

Top-ranked Lee Westwood missed the cut Friday at the Qatar Masters, opening the door for second-ranked Martin Kaymer to replace him at the top.

England's Westwood shot a 3-over 75, a day after shooting a 1-over 73 in windy conditions in Doha to end his tournament at 4-over and a tie for 77th. His struggles in Qatar come on the heels of a 64th-place finish in last month's European Tour event in Abu Dhabi.

Westwood, who replaced Tiger Woods at the top of the rankings in October, had four bogeys and two birdies Friday.

Westwood attributed his poor showing in Qatar to ''early-season rust'' and said he expects to do better at next week's Dubai Desert Classic because the course suits him better. The last time Westwood missed a cut was a year ago in Abu Dhabi.

''I didn't play very well,'' he said. ''I'm going to go on the range the next couple of days and try to get into some kind of rhythm.''

Kaymer could claim top spot for the first time with at least a second-place finish. He is joint 57th, 10 shots back.