Golf-Harrington looks to halt slump before Open title defence

By Norman Dabell

ST QUENTIN, France, July 1 (Reuters) - Three-times major champion Padraig Harrington said he needed to halt his alarming dip in form this week at the French Open if he is to have any chance of retaining his British Open title.

With the third major only two weeks away, Harrington has missed his last four cuts, including the U.S. Open two weeks ago where he was eight strokes worse than the mark.

A year-long slump -- he has dropped from third to 11th in the world rankings -- has coincided with the 37-year-old deciding to modify the swing that won him last year's British Open and U.S. PGA Championship and earned him the 2007 British Open title.

Harrington said his new swing is still a work in progress as he strives for the consistency he feels he needs to win more majors. However, even though he is close to being satisfied with it, time is not on his side.

"I'm running out of time for the (British) Open," Harrington told reporters the day before playing the French event at the National course near Versailles. "But the attraction of changing things is still great.

"If the Open wasn't just round the corner I'd be carrying on but at this stage I need to show some signs that I will be ready for it.

"There comes a point when you have to go with what you have got. I'm always an optimist but I don't believe in suddenly clicking into form. I have to work my way into it."

"At this stage I believe I will be ready," Harrington added. "But then again I thought I'd be ready for the U.S. Open.