He had six birdies after 12 but found the thick grass in the bunker in front of the 14th green and after hacking out could not get up and down.

Cabrera, who set the course record yesterday with a 64 to leap to nine under, began bogey birdie before a disastrous ninth cost him two shots.

Having missed the green at the par four he misjudged his chip, duffed his next effort a matter of inches, nearly holed his fifth and tapped in for a double-bogey.

Two birdies and a bogey from the turn left him eight under, only a shot ahead of Clark and Jim Furyk.

The American, after a double-bogey five at the short water-guarded fourth, had three successive birdies from the ninth to be one under for his round.

Darren Clarke began the day two strokes behind Cabrera but had a disastrous start with double bogeys at the par-four third and the fourth, where he hit his tee shot into the water.

He clawed a stroke back at the par-five ninth but then dropped it again at the 13th to leave him on four under, tied for fifth with fellow Ryder Cup star Luke Donald, who was two over through 13 holes.

Clarke finished the day four over, to leave him joint sixth overall at three under.