The 31-year-old Swede, who had led the Order of Merit since February until Padraig Harrington’s Open victory on Sunday, was already destined to miss the cut after a front nine of 40, although he ironically finished with a birdie three on the last.

“I ran out of putts,” the Ryder Cup star said.

“I missed a short one and then managed to double-hit it a couple of times in frustration.

The day was pretty much over even before that. I was three or four over.”

Asked if he knew how many shots he had taken, Stenson added: “No, that was the problem. I didn’t sign my card because I couldn’t figure it out.”

Stenson was not the only one to run up a high score on a day of blustery winds and occasional downpours.

Overnight leader Simon Khan followed his opening 65 with an 80 to miss the cut - the first player to do so in two years on the European Tour – while in contrast South African Rory Sabbatini bounced back from a 78 with a 65 to make the cut.

Sabbatini, the world number 16, was 155th out of 156 players on Thursday evening but carded seven birdies in a flawless round, storming home in 31 to finish one under par.

English pair Zane Scotland and Lee Slattery share the halfway lead on nine under par after rounds of 68 and 69 respectively.

Scotland shot to fame when he qualified for the Open at Carnoustie as a 16-year-old, but his professional career was put on hold after a car crash in 2003 in which he suffered a serious neck injury.

It was not until last year that he was able to play and practise fully after treatment at Pure Sports Medicine in London, where doctors had seen a television interview he had given and felt they could help.

“At times it was like having a knife in my neck and I couldn’t play or practise how I used to,” Scotland explained.

“I had three stretches, of two, three and four months, where I wasn’t allowed to hit a ball.

“At times I was sitting at home thinking ’this is going to be it for the rest of my days’ and that’s a horrible thing I don’t want to go through ever again.

“My mum and dad kept me going and without them it might have been a different story. You hang on to the little glimmer of hope that I’m going to make it and then you see some of your friends on TV, like James Heath or Nick Dougherty, and you stick with it.”

“It feels great,” he added.

“To be at the top of the leaderboard in a tournament like this is brilliant. The way the first two days have gone there’s no reason why I can’t carry on. I’m enjoying this little stretch and trying not to think about it too much, just enjoying being here.”