This former Open champ came out hot on Saturday, then slipped and finished with a 69
Sweden's Stenson, winner at Troon in 2016, made only his third cut in his last 10 majors right on the line at one over.
That gave him an early tee time, and he made full use of light winds and warm conditions.
The LIV golfer covered the front nine in 32 after a birdie at the second and par-3 sixth, having come 11 inches short of holing his tee shot.
Another brilliant approach to the 607-yard seventh set up a 10-foot eagle and another birdie at the par-five 12th moved him into the top 10 and six behind leader Scottie Scheffler, not due out until later with England's Matt Fitzpatrick.
Stenson did finish with three bogeys on his final five holes, but still finished the day at 69 and is now 1 under for the competition.
Aside from winning the event in 2016, Stenson also placed second at the Open in 2015 at Muirfield and has a pair of third-place finishes.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Former Open champ came out hot, then finished with a 69
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