Monty at eight over still right in contention

Colin Montgomerie may be forced to revise his opinion that he has blown his chances of a first major title at Carnoustie.

The 36-year-old Scot dismissed his hopes of victory after a second-round 76 left him with an eight-over total of 150.

"This has gone now," said a gloomy Montgomerie after failing to capitalise on much calmer conditions for the early starters and falling back on another day of bitter disappointment - and bad temper.

But with the wind increasing in the afternoon Frenchman Jean Van De Velde's one-over total of 143 was the best score in the clubhouse, only seven better than Montgomerie who only trailed Tiger Woods and Greg Norman by four.

Europe's number one, who has missed the cut in five of the last seven Opens and was at least on course to improve that dismal record, had earlier staged a running battle with cameramen, photographers, marshals and spectators.

A three-putt bogey on the first set the tone for Montgomerie's miserable round and it was only two holes later that a fan with a camera was told by the Scot to put it away.

On the fourth he felt the need to speak to a whole camera crew.

"You need a break, we need a break - go away and have a coffee," he said. "We're under enough pressure without you lot."

Further bogeys at the seventh and short eighth - the first after a bad drive into the rough, the other the result of a tee shot into a bunker - meant an outward 39.

Montgomerie did birdie the 10th and 14th, but he also bogeyed the 11th and then had three more in a row from the 15th, his mood darkening all the time.

"I didn't capitalise on my draw," he added. "I was struggling, I didn't play well and got no luck."

It looked for a while as though Monty had good reason to be pessimistic as world number one Woods started to make his move with a 30-foot birdie putt from just off the back of the first green.

Norman, the 1986 and 1993 champion who missed the championship last year following shoulder surgery, was also going well and stood at four under for the day and one over for the championship on the 17th tee.

But an horrendous triple bogey seven, including a shot from thick rough that moved the ball a matter of inches, left Norman with a round of 70 and tied with Woods on four over 146 in the clubhouse.

Nick Faldo's record of never having missed a cut in the Open since his debut in 1976 was almost certainly about to end as he fell away to 15 over after adding a second-round 79 to his opening 78.

If he does fail to qualify for the final two rounds it would be for the seventh time in the last 11 majors.

World number two David Duval was 12 over after dropping five strokes in the last four holes for a 75 and had to wait to see if he was on the way home too.

Meanwhile Argentinian Angel Cabrera had the second best score in the clubhouse after a 69 saw him safely home at two over while out on the course, Sweden's Jesper Parnevik was two over after 10.