Duval, the 2001 Open winner at Lytham, slumped to a 19-over-par two-round total of 161, 11 shots worse than the cut made at eight over, and the former world number one was reluctant to discuss his slump in form.

"That's exactly why I don't want to talk because you weren't out there and none of those people were out there, and so you're asking me about the same old stuff," he told reporters.

"I played 32 good holes of golf and made three triples (bogeys) and a quad and I'm out of the golf tournament."

Sandy Lyle, who won the Open at Sandwich in 1985, 1999 champion Paul Lawrie, 1997 winner Justin Leonard and Mark Calcavecchia , who lifted the Claret Jug 14 years ago, also failed to make the weekend along with last month's U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk.

Former major winners Bernhard Langer, never out of the top three in his three previous Opens at Sandwich, Jose Maria Olazabal, Corey Pavin, David Toms, Hal Sutton, Jeff Sluman and Lee Janzen also missed the cut, as did Britons Lee Westwood and Justin Rose.

Three-times British Open champion Nick Faldo, former winners Mark O'Meara and Tom Lehman, U.S. Masters champion Mike Weir and last year's U.S.PGA winner Rich Beem narrowly survived after finishing on eight-over-par totals of 150.