The British Invasion of Augusta National Golf Club fizzled in the second round of the Masters Tournament on Friday.

With players from England such as Paul Casey, Lee Westwood and Ross Fisher coming off strong performances on both sides of the pond this year, hopes were high that one of them could become the first Englishman since Nick Faldo in 1996 to win the Masters.

The hopes are now all but over as former Augusta State star Oliver Wilson missed the cut and five other players from England limped home either right on the 1-over cut line, or one stroke clear of it.

Only Westwood is in red numbers, at 2-under-par 142 following a 72. Casey (72), Luke Donald (71), Ian Poulter (73) and Justin Rose (70) are at even-par 144 and Ross Fisher, among the leaders early in the first round with 69, ballooned to a 76 and had to par the last three holes to squeeze in at the cut line.

Wilson (75) had four bogeys on the front to put an early damper on his round, and he finished at 4-over 148.

Part of the problem is that the playing conditions were more difficult for everyone.

"The wind picked up and made it very, very tricky," Poulter said. "This is as swirly as I have ever seen the wind round the back nine."

Casey, who defeated J.B. Holmes in a playoff last week under windy conditions at the Shell Houston Open, also found the going hard -- but not because he was drained from notching his first PGA Tour victory that was far from a walk in a Texas park.

"Fatigue is the one element which is a danger, but my fitness is pretty good," he said. "The legs feel fresh and this is a course that needs fresh legs. I feel happy with that."

The par-3 12th hole proved especially nightmarish for the English. Only Rose parred the hole in the second round, with the rest combining to shoot 8-over. For the first two rounds of the tournament, the seven Britishers played the 12th hole at a combined 12-over, and none have managed to birdie the hole.

Fisher double-bogeyed the 12th hole Friday when his tee shot went into the water, then bogeyed the par-5 15th . Somehow, he held on to make the cut.

"I really struggled on the greens," he said. "I was battling away ... but that (12th hole) just caught us out."

Westwood also hit his tee shot into the water at No. 12, absorbing a double-bogey, but he played his last six holes at 3-under.

"Completely duffed it in the water," he said. "But there was a lot of good stuff in there."

All of the English players in the field had reasonable to very good expectations of themselves this week.

Casey's victory, for example, was a long-awaited PGA Tour title after nine on the European PGA Tour. Westwood also played well in Houston last week, tying for 11th for his fourth finish of 17th or higher this season.

Wilson was coming off two top-10s in both World Golf Championships played to date; Fisher was fourth in the Accenture Match Play; Donald had three top-10s on the PGA Tour; Poulter had four starts in which he finished 21st or higher; and Rose finished second in Dubai on the European Tour.

The Brits who survived to the weekend will be hard-pressed to make a game of it, with Westwood the closest to the top at seven shots behind co-leaders Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry.

"Two-under still has a chance," Westwood said.

Casey had his own game plan.

"I'm going to watch what Chad eats and drinks and copy him," Casey added.

Reach Garry Smits at garry.smits@jacksonville.com.