He first entered for the Amateur at Dornoch in 1985 and is playing in the championship for the 22nd time. Although he was trailing over the opening holes, he had squared the match by the turn. "Then I felt I was more in control of my game," he said. "But conditions were very difficult. You needed three clubs more into the wind and three less downwind."

In tomorrow's third round he will play Ben Evans of Rye, a 4 and 3 winner over Jean-Jacques Wolff of France.

Leading qualifier Llewellyn Matthews was two down after 14 holes to Walker Cup player Richie Ramsay in his first match at the top of the second round draw, but won the 15th and 17th and pitched to within a foot of the final hole from 50 yards to secure a one hole victory.

"I was reminded that the leading qualifier has a record of being beaten in the first round," he said, "but I preferred to think of Warren Bladon who led the qualifiers in 1996 at Turnberry and went on to win. At least I've laid that bogey."

He is joined in the third round by Oliver Fisher whose match against Remi Dupuis of France fluctuated so wildly that the first halved hole was the 12th. Fisher had been two down after six holes, but won the next three and was two ahead on the 17th tee. Having missed the green he pitched dead for his par, but Dupuis rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt to take the match down the last where Fisher held on for a one hole win.

"I've played this course a lot," said Fisher, "but but I'm still learning about it. It is very hard to stop the ball downwind and you have to accept that mistakes will be made and learn to live with it."

Canadian Andrew Parr is enjoying his first real taste of links golf. The 22-year-old former Texas A&M student said: "This is a fantastic experience and I just love the challenge," after his 6 and 4 win over William Bowe of Workington. With three birdies in the outward nine he was five up at the turn and never in danger.

For complete match play results, click on the tournament link above.