The signs were good when he birdied the third and fourth, but then came a bogey at the short sixth for the second day running.

More than anything, though, the four-time champion was unable to make hay on the par fives as he usually does on the course.

He had only one birdie in eight attempts on the opening two days and that became one in 10 when he failed to get up and down from right of the second and then was in trouble off the tee at the 570-yard eighth.

He parred both, but going long at the ninth cost him another shot and by turning in 36 he was up only one place from his overnight 40th.

World number one Donald, who survived the cut with only one shot to spare on four over and only because none of the leaders reached seven under, had the early bonus of pitching in for eagle at the 350-yard third.

He turned in a two-under 34, but flopped a chip into a bunker from right of the 10th and after bogeying there found Rae’s Creek with his second shot to the 13th.

After taking a penalty drop he then sent his fourth shot over the green and took three more for a double bogey, his second of the week.

That looked to be that for his challenge. He was five over and not even in the top 50.

Of the early European starters, Padraig Harrington bogeyed the first to drop to one over, while Graeme McDowell birdied the second and third, but then bogeyed the fifth and seventh to be three over again.

England’s Ross Fisher mixed three birdies with three bogeys on the outward half to remain four over and Scot Martin Laird double-bogeyed the seventh in an outward 37 that left him five over.