Miguel Angel Jiménez's overnight lead did not last long as a previously defenceless Turnberry exacted a measure of revenge on day two of The 138th Open Championship.
Jiménez equalled the lowest first round in Open history with his 64 on the opening day, the 45 year old carding six birdies and no bogeys in a flawless round.
At six under par, the Spaniard led by one from 59 year old five time winner Tom Watson, 2003 champion Ben Curtis and Japan's Kenichi Kuboya, who finished his first round shortly before 9pm last night with a run of birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie.
But Thursday’s benign weather was replaced by showers and a strong breeze contributing to a number of bogeys, double bogeys and worse on the front nine, which played mainly into the wind.
Jiménez dropped three shots in a row from the second to drop back to three under par, while Curtis fared even worse after a birdie on the first had briefly taken him to six under.
The World Number 27, who was ranked just 396th when he won The Open at Sandwich, then carded six birdies in the next seven holes and a double bogey on the ninth to be out in 42 and now more in danger of missing the cut than leading the tournament.
Playing partner Mike Weir, the 2003 Masters Tournament champion, also took 42 shots to cover the front nine, most of the damage done by an eight on the par five seventh, which had been the easiest hole on the course during the first round.
Fifty players had broken the par of 70 on Thursday, but after three and a half hours play, only three players were currently under par for the day.
Defending champion Padraig Harrington, looking to win a third successive title, remained in contention on one under after four.
