Harrington derailed by mental errors and poor putting

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.

TOUGH GOING

"That was the one that definitely deflated me and after that it was tough going," said the Irish world number 14 who clinched his first British Open in a playoff with Sergio Garcia at Carnoustie in 2007.

It all came down to a woeful pitch from just 77 yards which Harrington pushed into the right rough.

"That was just a poor shot," he said. "I couldn't convince myself to hit it. I don't know why. It was 77 yards into the wind. On another day I'd just see that shot and hit it."

Out in three-over 38, Harrington also bogeyed the 12th, 14th and 16th.

"On the back nine, I kept leaving putts (short)," he said after totaling 32 putts. "I actually got three putts up to the hole all day. It wasn't my day.

"I was happy with my ball-striking but not so happy with the mental side. I always play well when I'm working on the mental side of the game and that needs to be tidied up."

Harrington plans to take a two-week break from the game after the Open before preparing for his U.S. PGA Championship title defense at Hazeltine National next month.

"I'll do a bit more work and then I'll look forward to getting back and building up for the PGA," he said.

(Editing by Tony Jimenez)