Harrington derailed by mental errors and poor putting

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

TURNBERRY, Scotland (Reuters) - Padraig Harrington's bid for a rare hat-trick of British Open titles was effectively shattered by poor putting and mental frailty in Saturday's third round.

The Irishman began a blustery day eight strokes off the lead and tumbled further backwards after struggling to a six-over-par 76 on Turnberry's Ailsa Course.

Seeking to emulate Australian Peter Thomson's run of three successive victories from 1954-56, Harrington plummeted out of contention with a nine-over total of 219.

"Certainly it wasn't a very tidy round of golf," the 37-year-old Dubliner told reporters after failing to build on a birdie at the par-four opening hole.

"I suppose it started well and faded out rapidly. Too many three-putts, three in the round, and a few other mental errors.

"My challenge faded on seven and eight," the three-times winner said of a bogey, double-bogey stretch. "I needed things to go well for me, hole a few putts and do a few things.

"I was just poor today and made the wrong decisions. On a windy tough course, you need things to be going with you, to be feeling like you're on top of the course."

The bogey at the par-five seventh was a bitter pill for Harrington to swallow on a tricky par-70 layout offering very few birdie chances.