After a second successive bogey-free 68 took him into the joint halfway lead with Australian Richard Green at the Daily Telegraph Damovo British Masters at the Forest of Arden, Owen tried to open people’s eyes to his profession.

“It’s a damn hard job,” he said. “There are 156 players in the field and only one person can win.

“It’s well rewarded, but it’s not as glamorous as everyone thinks it is. You look at the tour books where all the prize money is reproduced and people say ’Oh, he’s got a great life.’

“But you never get the money that’s shown up there and it’s just the agony you go through.”

In Portugal in April Owen thought that after more than 150 events he was finally going to win his first title.

But, level with two holes to play, he missed a four-foot birdie putt and then bogeyed the last to finish fifth.

“I was absolutely gutted, I’ve never felt like that before. I didn’t want to play and go through that again,” he said.

“I should have won it comfortably and (afterwards) I just wanted to spend time with my little girl.”

It took a heart-to-heart with coach David Ridley to put him back together and Owen is now on an incredible run of 68 holes without a dropped shot – right back to the fourth hole of his third round in the Wales Open last week.

“I’m trying to be patient instead of attacking silly flags. I’m not 100% sure I want to play like that, but Faldo made a living out of it and the scoring shows that it works,” he said.

“It can be pretty boring and you can get too conservative, but I’m not doing too badly.”

Owen hopes he will attract a lot of home backing this weekend – and that they stay with him.

“You’ve got pressures from people wanting tickets and they turn up for two holes and then they go off and watch Monty! Thanks for the support, guys.”

Colin Montgomerie will not be a rival attraction in the final two rounds, however, after missing his second successive cut.

Left-hander Green moved alongside Owen with a 66 that was anything but boring.

Winner of the 1997 Dubai Desert Classic after a play-off with Ian Woosnam and Greg Norman no less, he holed his pitch to the 381-yard fourth for an eagle two and then finished with three birdies.

Owen and Green ended the day one ahead of David Lynn and German Marcel Siem, first day leader Peter Fowler dropping back to four under with a 75.

Defending champion Justin Rose, five under with 11 to play, survived the cut with nothing to spare at level par, as did last week’s Wales Open winner Ian Poulter.

Pre-tournament favourite Darren Clarke is two under and Lee Westwood a disappointing one under despite a hole-in-one at the fifth. He had a 76.

At least he is still in the event. Montgomerie was not the only member of last September’s Ryder Cup team to bow out.

Philip Price finished three over and Pierre Fulke two over, while Paul McGinley had to pull out after five holes of his second round because of a neck spasm. He was two under at the time and desperately disappointed.