Rory McIlroy gave a mighty good impression of an Olympic hammer thrower as he tossed his 3-wood into the turf in venting his frustration in the third round of the British Open at Troon.

With his hopes for a charge undone by a poor putting display on greens that weren't rolled or cut due to the threat of high winds, the Northern Irishman took out his irritation on the fairway wood after a poor approach to the 16th on his way to a third round 73 for 231, level par, that had him well off the pace set by Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson.

McIlroy endured three bogeys in his opening five holes as he struggled with the pace of the greens - running at a slow 9.4 on the stimp - and failed to get any momentum going in his quest to leapfrog through the field.

He plans on getting the 3-wood repaired so that he can use it again in Sunday’s final round. “The club head came loose on it earlier on the week. I had to get the head re-glued. So it was probably partly to do with that and partly the throw as well,” explained McIlroy, who had 30 putts in the round.

Padraig Harrington was another to struggle on the greens as he fell to a 73 for 215, while Darren Clarke suffered three bogeys in his closing four holes for a 73 for 216. Graeme McDowell had a triple bogey six on the Postage Stamp - the eighth - as he signed for a 72 for 218.