Colsaerts fired a five under par 67 to reach the eight under par mark of 208, with Southampton’s Richard Bland and Italian Emanuele Canonica now his closest challengers.

“Everybody knows I can basically do whatever I want with a golf ball, but it’s not as easy as that,” said Colsaerts, who finished 120th on the Order of Merit last season and currently stands 163rd.

He needs to climb into the top 115 to win back his card, but victory at the Perthshire course would earn him £233,330 and make him exempt for the next two seasons.

“I enjoyed every minute of it today and I hope to enjoy every second of it tomorrow.”

Colsaerts owes his place in this week’s event to the fact that so many big names decided not to play. It started on Thursday with just two members of the world’s top 50 and 24th-ranked Colin Montgomerie then played only 13 holes before withdrawing with a finger injury.

Never in the lead with 18 holes to play before, Colsaerts’ only time in the headlines this year came at the French Open. He was fined for two slow play violations on the same hole and also given a one-stroke penalty.

Italian Open champion Webster, so lookng forward to his US PGA debut this coming week, still has a chance at four under, but Foster, down in 122nd on the Order of Merit, now has seven strokes to make up after a miserable day.

Bland lost a play-off for the 2002 Irish Open to Dane Soren Hansen, but then fell off the circuit himself and had to come through the Challenge Tour last year for another shot at it.

He gets married later this month and after a 68 including an eagle at the 12th said: “I’m trying to concentrate on this at the moment.

“It could be a very special two weeks. If I can pull this off it would be great.” He is 112th on the money list at present.

Canonica’s closing birdie for 69 relegated Welshman Bradley Dredge and Ireland’s Damien McGrane to joint fourth on five under, three back.

Ryder Cup star Paul Casey, having ended a nightmare run of six successive missed cuts, lies two under after a 70 – and can take encouragement from the fact that he did not have a bogey in his round.

Confidence is something he needs plenty of going into the US PGA championship on a Baltusrol course which looks set to be a fearsome test.

During his slump Casey missed the cut in the Masters, withdrew after an opening 85 in the US Open, then failed to survive the midway axe in the Open at St Andrews.

“I’ve still got a lot of work to do, but I’m playing better and feeling much happier about things.” he said.

“Now I’m just looking for results – before I was looking for my golf game.”

A talk with US Open champion Michael Campbell last month has played its part in turning his form around.

The New Zealander knows all about the highs and lows of life as a professional sportsman and pulled Casey aside during the JP McManus Pro-am in Ireland.

“There was nothing revolutionary in what he told me, but I stored his nice comments away. This is a career, not a quick little race and, as somebody said, form is temporary, but class is permanent.

“I can’t say it’s a good thing to have a dip like I’ve had, but maybe it is. It’s made me work on the right things and it’s definitely been humbling.

“I’ve learnt a lot i the past year or so. There’s a lot more good to come out of this than bad.

“It’s been very, very frustrating, but I’ve never been overly-concerned that my game had disappeared and was never coming back.”

Welshman Jamie Donaldson, playing on a medical exemption this year, signed for a 73 and two-over total, but was then disqualified when it came to light that he took a bogey five at the eighth whereas his card showed a four.