Hanson bogeyed it himself but having had four earlier birdies the 27-year-old stood eight under par.

Even though Gustafsson then responded with an incredible 401-yard drive on the downwind par five ninth – it left him with only 95 yards to the flag – Hanson matched his birdie four to be out in 33.

South African Hennie Otto had become his nearest challenger on five under but started for home with a bogey six to be alongside Gustafsson and Dubliner Peter Lawrie, who turned in 35 with three birdies and two bogeys.

The eighth was where Spaniard Diego Borrego came to grief yesterday. He was leading by two when he tangled with the rough and then four-putted for a quadruple-bogey eight, the same score as Portuguese Open champion Paul Broadhurst took in his opening 80 after shanking a four iron out of bounds.

Hanson, seeking his first tour title and one ahead overnight, drove into sand on the first two holes, but played them in one under. He rolled in a 25-footer at the first and saved par on the second.

His next birdie came courtesy of a 20-foot putt at the short third and after giving the chasing pack hope by bogeying the next and then three-putting the 526-yard fifth for par he made further birdie putts of 10 and seven feet on the following two greens.

Paul Lawrie, the 1999 Open champion who lost to Broadhurst by one a fortnight ago after triple-bogeying the 71st hole, was fighting hard to get back into contention.

He covered the front nine in 34, then added another birdie on the 15th to climb to joint fifth on three under.

Jean Van de Velde, who would have won at Carnoustie six years ago if only he had double-bogeyed the last and not triple-bogeyed it, was also level par at halfway, had fallen back to four over with six to play.

That still left him nine clear of Seve Ballesteros’s 24-year-old nephew Raul, who dropped to joint-last with an error-strewn 82.