Harrington slips back

Padraig Harrington has begun to struggle in the Open as wind caused carnage at Royal Birkdale.

He failed to get up and down from a bunker on the 421-yard second, but after going into deep rough two holes later, he produced a heaven-sent chip-in for a birdie three to return to two over and then added another birdie from six feet on the short seventh.

However, he three-putted the eighth and 11th, then got into even bigger trouble at the short 12th.

Finding a shocking patch of rough over the green he ran up a double bogey five and went back alongside Simon Wakefield.

They were in third place along with Jim Furyk, who double-bogeyed the 10th and tangled with more rough himself on the next for a bogey, and they were only one behind as Greg Norman and KJ Choi also double-bogeyed the 10th.

Ireland's Graeme McDowell was sixth on his own at six over with seven to play, while England's Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher were among a large group on seven over.

It had taken nearly three hours for the last pair to play 10 holes, mostly because of delays caused by balls oscillating or even moving on the greens.

Wakefield, without a European Tour victory in over 200 starts, today gave himself a chance to win.

The 34-year-old matched the low round of the day with a level-par 70 and, with all the overnight leaders hitting trouble in the ferociously difficult conditions, he became the man setting the target in the clubhouse.

A five-over-par total of 215 may not seem anything to boast about, but Wakefield, the nephew of former England wicketkeeper Bob Taylor, was the envy of some of the biggest names in the sport.

He began the day joint 22nd, but as he spoke to the media afterwards was joint third only a shot off the lead - and had every chance of ending the round in front given the conditions.

Wakefield, whose third second-placed finish in Europe came in Austria last month, outscored playing partner Sergio Garcia, last year's runner-up by four, collecting birdies on the 12th, 14th and 17th.

South Korean Choi, trying to become the first Asian to win a major title, had been one ahead at halfway and that that became three when playing partner Norman bogeyed the first and third.

But Choi then stuttered himself and when he followed a double bogey six on the sixth with a bogey two holes later, he fell into a four-way tie with the 53-year-old Norman, American Furyk and defending champion Harrington.

They were all two over, but still had the back nine to come. Wakefield had completed his day's work.

Fierce though the wind had been on Thursday the forecast even then was that Saturday afternoon would be worse and so it proved.

The tees at the sixth, 11th and 16th had been moved forward 13, 78 and 68 yards respectively as a result, but that was not enough to prevent some real horror stories.

American Sean O'Hair finished nine-seven, losing a ball at each hole, for an 80, while Lee Westwood four-putted the first green in his 78 and both Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els, seven over and nine over at halfway, almost certainly are out of it on 13 over after rounds of 74 and 76.

Justin Rose, back on the links where as a 17-year-old amateur he finished a spectacular fourth 10 years ago, came to grief with an outward 42 and when he finished he had to sign for an 82, his worst-ever score in the Open.

Former winner David Duval, joint fourth at halfway despite making only one cut all year and being 1,087th in the world, quickly slumped to 14 over, while Jean van de Velde went from four over to 15 over and still had not finished.