Today after starting way down the field at four over par, Curtis did not attract even one photographer to his second round entourage inside the ropes - despite the fact he was playing with three-time Open champion in Faldo.
Apart from joint eighth place at the Memorial Tournament in the United States, Curtis has done very little on the American tour since his Sandwich triumph.
In 13 PGA tournaments in America this year he has made the cut only seven times.
In seven events on the European Tour he has finished only once in the top 20.
So little was expected at Troon. The chances of Curtis pulling off another sensation seemed rare, especially after he finished yesterday's opening round four over par.
The American did not appear on the first tee until the last minute, preferring to practise his putting as long as possible while Faldo and Frenchman Jean Francois Remesy headed off to start the round.
Curtis started solidly with a par at the 370-yard opening hole. But Faldo, who began the day at five over par, immediately got into trouble, hitting his second shot into the crowd at the back of the green.
The Englishman, who won the Open twice at Muirfield in 1987 and 1992 and once at St Andrews in 1990, dropped a shot at the par-four hole after taking three shots to chip back and putt.
Curtis then dropped a shot at the third after he hit his drive into a deep bunker on the left of the fairway. The American played a good shot to get out but it was short of the green and he failed to get home in two.
The trend for the rest of the round had been set for both players - lack of consistency. Curtis battled back with a birdie at the next hole, a 560-yard par-five, and he dropped back to three over after a birdie at the seventh.
But he immediately lost the shot again when he took four at the 123-yard eighth, the Postage Stamp hole and turned with a 36, par for the round.
Then the American's hopes of making the cut disappeared with three bogeys in the next five holes to drop to seven over after 15 holes. Faldo, who will be 47 on Sunday, has tried everything from glasses to contact lenses - and also contemplated laser surgery - to get a clearer view of a golf course this year.
For a moment the three-times Masters champion appeared to be launching a comeback when he took birdies at the fourth and fifth holes.
But the Englishman also immediately lost the shots again with bogeys at the following two holes and came out of the turn six over par.
Faldo's game was up and down - - and then it collapsed.
He struck a double-bogey at the parfour 11th, a birdie three at the 12th and another bogey at the 14th to slip to eight over par with four holes remaining.
Then the Englishman's challenge collapsed with a calamitous seven at the par-four 15 to go 11 over.
