Padraig Harrington suffered a huge blow to his hopes of winning the Masters within seconds of play resuming at Augusta National today.

The Dubliner's opening shot when the third round got under way again was a seven-foot birdie putt on the seventh.

Making it would have lifted Harrington to four under par and only two off the lead, but instead the ball caught the lip and then trickled eight feet past on the lightning-fast green.

When he then lipped out again coming back, a bogey five had to go on his scorecard and suddenly he was four behind.

As that happened, South African Tim Clark birdied the sixth and American Rocco Mediate the fifth, making it a three-way tie at the top on six-under with Chad Campbell.

World number one Tiger Woods, meanwhile, set off again with a birdie at the difficult 10th to be fourth on his own at four-under.

The script took a different turn for the defending champion on the 11th when his approach to the green caught the bank short of the flag and kicked into the lake.

Harrington parred the eighth and ninth to turn in 35, but fell five back when Clark moved five-under for his round and seven-under overall by pitching to three feet at the long eighth.

Woods limited the damage on the 11th to a bogey by making a nine-footer and at four-under was tied for fourth with 2004 champion Phil Mickelson.

Harrington returned to three-under with a superb iron to five feet on the short 12th — but then came a double-bogey seven at the next.

He was in trouble before he reached the green and then three-putted again, lipping out from six feet.

Clark remained six-under after 12 and was two ahead again thanks to Campbell's fourth bogey in seven holes at the ninth.

Woods two-putted the 13th and was joint second, but he three-putted the next and then found water for the second time in the day with his three-iron approach to the long 15th.

He hit a good pitch from the drop zone to seven feet, but missed it and with a bogey six was four behind.

Mickelson, meanwhile, three-putted the 11th to be three back and then rolled home a 10-foot birdie putt at the 12th to climb back into a share for second with Campbell and Mediate.

The fans were waiting for somebody to make a real back nine charge — and it came from Darren Clarke.

Only level par after an outward 38 the Ulsterman birdied 10th and 12th and then sank a 40-foot eagle putt at the next.

In a flash he was up into a tie for second — two behind Clark — and as that happened Woods had his third successive bogey, three-putting the short 16th.

Clarke's brilliant run ended in nightmare fashion on the 15th. After hitting his second shot into the water, he saw his pitch run back down the bank and into the lake as well.

His next attempt finished nine feet from the flag, but he missed that and a triple-bogey eight sent him down to one-under.

Playing partner Mickelson two-putted the hole for birdie and joined Clark in the lead on five-under.

Woods had to work hard to avoid a fourth successive bogey, getting up and down from sand at the 17th, but then finished in style with a 10-foot birdie putt.

He was in the joint clubhouse lead with Players Championship winner Stephen Ames and at two-under he was only three behind Clark, who came up short on the 14th and bogeyed.

Harrington had another double-bogey seven on the 15th and when he dropped a further shot at the next he was two-over and seven adrift.