Lee Westwood has admitted that he is out of the running to win the Open Championship this weekend.

Westwood, ranked third in the world, just made the halfway cut with a score of three over par after the first two days, 13 shots behind leader Brandt Snedeker.

The former world number one believes that the weather has done nothing to help him pull off a sensational comeback.

"I would say it's remote with the weather forecast, because I think from the cut line you'd need it to blow pretty strongly both days, and I think tomorrow is forecast to be pretty calm again," said Westwood.

"I wouldn't see the lads coming back when everybody else is going forward. I would say anybody level par or better has got a sniff. Shoot 65 tomorrow and the two lads (Snedeker and second-placed Adam Scott) shoot level themselves, you're four and five down, with a windy day coming up.

"You could be out early in the morning, like you saw at Muirfield a few years ago. Guys went out and shot 65s and 64s early, and then in the afternoon it played like par-78. That's the interesting thing about links golf."

Despite holding on to a place at the top of the rankings for much of his distinguished career, Westwood has never won a major championship.