James Morrison shot a four-over 75 on his way to level par for the tournament and is only three shots off the lead.
The defending champion birdied the fifth and sixth but that was it as the tough conditions took over and no one could shoot under par.
Morrison then shot a double-bogey, and four more bogeys to get back to level par for the tournament, which is well within sticking distance going into the weekend.
James Morrison told Sky Sports: “I think that’s level par out there, isn’t it?
“It was a hard round from the start. The wind was up and it’s a hard course in shorts and no wind, let alone with some breeze this morning and it was quite chilly too.
“I did not play great but at the same time, I scrambled pretty well. You have got to put it into perspective. I’ve shot four over par and am still nearly in the top 10. Come to the end of the day, I should be in a good position to go forward.
“I like these conditions in a very weird way. You know the scoring is not going to get away from you. If you play well, you can win and if you don’t, you get punished. That’s the way it should be. It’s a true test of golf and it’s great to play.”
