Kim Eaves can now spend the weekend as a stress-free spectator after riding the emotional highs and lows that come with watching a loved one play tournament golf.

For Sam Eaves, the disappointment of dropping shots on each of the last two holes to miss the cut at the Australian PGA Championship by one will sting for a bit but the reminder of why he no longer chases life on tour was there waiting for him beside RACV Royal Pines Resort’s 18th green late on Friday evening.

As the sun set and the fans in the corporate suites willed him on, the Warwick Golf Club PGA Professional played a superb flop shot from the drop zone beneath the grandstands after pulling his approach shot left of the green.

In golf parlance, it’s dead down there. Yet despite his competitive golf these days consisting of casual games with the Warwick Sporters Golf Club every Wednesday afternoon Eaves handled the moment expertly to give himself a good look at a further 36 holes over the weekend.

But the putter that had behaved like an angry adder in his hands all day failed him once again as his par putt came up short and left, his consolation prize in a twisted mix of emotions a hug from his five-year-old son and knowing kiss of support from his wife.

Surviving a playoff to earn one of three spots at pre-qualifying at Lakelands Golf Club on Monday, Eaves played the opening round on Thursday in four less shots than the No.53 player in the world, Cameron Smith, and as the sun set on Friday evening struggled to put into words the gut-wrenching nature of his finish.

“It’s nice not playing full-time because the disappointment of missing a cut is very disappointing,” said Eaves, who finished 73rd on the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit in 2015 before taking the club professional position at Warwick.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, you’ve still got personal pride.

“It can beat you down. My playing partners (Justin Warren and Tim Stewart) worked hard and it gets to people. And they’re really good players.

“It would have been nice to make the cut and play on the weekend but not to be this year.”

Starting his second round at 2-under, Eaves dropped a shot at the difficult par-3 second, got it back again at the third and then surrendered it again at the fourth.

A bogey at 11 dropped him back to even par but his second birdie of the day at the par-5 12th restored the two-shot buffer between himself and the cut-line.

A bogey at the par-3 14th saw him fall to even par and when he hit his approach into the tree that guards the right side of the 17th green, he stood on the 18th tee needing at least par to be safe.

A tee shot into the left side of the fairway was an ideal start but ultimately it would be the putter that prevented him from repeating his effort of two years ago where he played all four rounds.

“The putter today… it’s like I’d never ever played golf and putted before in my life,” said Eaves.

“It felt so bad. But then sometimes it felt all right. If the line looked all right, I just stood up there and hit it in. If I wasn’t comfortable, it was terrible.

“Hit a great chip shot to an impossible pin and again, left with a testing putt that unfortunately I had no feel with.

“In saying that, I’m extremely proud of the way I played this week. Starting from Monday, getting through Monday and then the playoff. Anyone who qualifies is on the back foot straight away.”

The Eaves will be back at Royal Pines on Saturday, Kim excited by the prospect of “watching someone other than you” and Alex ready to revel in Kids Day that culminates with Carols on the Course from 4.30pm.

Not due back into the Warwick Golf Club pro shop until Tuesday, there was even a silver lining for Sam from Friday’s near miss.

“Out of all the disappointment of missing the cut my body is thanking me right now. My body was hating me,” he said.