An out-of-sorts Tiger Woods is almost certain to miss his first cut at a major as a professional after battling to a six-over-par 76 in the US Open second round.

Playing his first tournament in nine weeks following the death of his father, the world number one ran up two double-bogeys on his outward nine before finishing at 12-over 152.

On a second successive day of tough scoring conditions at a sun-baked Winged Foot Golf Club, the halfway cut was projected to fall at nine over par.

Darren Clarke, the first of four Irish challengers in action on the second day, allowed an encouraging start get away from him somewhat to finish on five-over, six adrift of clubhouse leader Steve Stricker and Colin Montgomerie who has yet to start his second round.

Graeme McDowell remains the leading Irish player, a par on the first keeping him on one-over. Padraig Harrington (+3) and Paul McGinley (+4) are among the late starters.

Woods, who has not missed a cut in a major championship since joining the professional ranks in late 1996, parred his first four holes before double-bogeying the par-four 14th and par-four 16th.

The 10-times major winner collected his only birdie of the day at the par-four 17th, sinking a curling 20-footer, before reaching the turn in three-over 38.

Struggling for accuracy off the tee on a typically tight US Open layout, he dropped further shots at the fourth, where he three-putted, and at the eighth, after failing to reach the green in two.

He then bogeyed his final hole, the par-four ninth, following another three-putt Woods, whose only missed cut at a major came as an amateur at the 1996 Masters, shot a 76 in the first round at Winged Foot.

"I didn't execute properly today," a subdued Woods told reporters. "I didn't drive the ball well, I didn't hit my irons well and I didn't read the speed on the greens.

"I thought I was playing well enough to shoot a sub-par round, and I didn't do that today," added the 30-year-old.

"I thought if I kept plodding along I could turn it around with one shot but it is playing really hard out there. The golf course is difficult and the wind is up now, just as it was yesterday afternoon. Any marginal shot here is going to get killed, and penalised more so than at any other Open."