Darren Clarke won a significant battle against a notoriously short fuse, when a third round of 69 brought him to four under par overall, in the Deutsche Bank - SAP Open in Heidelberg yesterday. Effectively, it was a ringing endorsement of the swing modifications encouraged by Butch Harmon in the US last month.

A feature of his play was some really long driving. "I ripped a few of them out there 300-plus," he said with relish. "Really big `uns." These were essentially the product of greater width in his swing, as advocated by the American coach who is best noted for his work with Tiger Woods.

But it was largely a grim exercise for Clarke's Irish colleagues. Even Padraig Harrington had reason to be angry after a 70 which could have been so much better, especially given his position of five-under for the round with seven holes to play.

Further down the order, Des Smyth and Paul McGinley finished level on 220 - four over par. Eamonn Darcy was two strokes further back after a 75, while his playing partner, Nick Price, was shooting a seven-birdie, course-record 65. The Delgany man's lone birdie came at the short 17th.

Smyth, who was thrilled with his form after a 69 on Saturday, experienced the other face of a demanding mistress in a dispiriting 77. It ended with a double-bogey six after an attempted fairway bunker recovery failed to reach the target and came to a watery grave.

"That was a desperate finish to a very disappointing round," he said afterwards.

McGinley was of similar mind after a 76 which began with three successive bogeys, where most of the serious challengers were picking up shots. "No complaints - I couldn't get anything going," he admitted.

As it happened, Harrington had no problem in getting things going. His difficulty lay in maintaining the momentum. Reflecting on a figures of three over par for the last seven holes, he said: "I went to pieces on the back nine, mainly through swinging too fast."

The Dubliner went on: "This was a real opportunity to get a good score going and I threw it away. My tempo just disappeared and my concentration was also poor. I can't say I'm happy with my day's work."

It had started promisingly when he recovered from a greenside bunker to four feet at the first for an opening birdie. And he also birdied the long fifth, with a chip to three feet. Then came putts of 20 feet and two feet for further birdies at the eighth and ninth for an outward 32 - four under par.

The sparkle was retained at the 10th, where he hit a beautiful eight-iron approach to two feet for his fifth birdie of the round. Then the edge suddenly fell off his game. A poor drive into rough led to a bogey at the 12th and a seriously pulled drive into trees culminated in a nasty, double-bogey six at the 461-yard 15th.

By comparison, Clarke's round was pretty much plain sailing after he had overcome a bogey at the 181-yard fourth, where he was long and left with a six-iron tee shot. His first birdie came at the 202-yard eighth, where a five-iron tee-shot was followed by a 12-foot putt.

Then came one of his best shots of the round. After taking a three wood for safety off the ninth tee, he made stunning contact with a six-iron approach, sending it 174 yards to within eight feet of the pin. And the putt went down for a birdie.

After that, he took care not to concede anything to the course. And patience paid off with a wedge to 15 feet for a birdie at the long 11th. Then came a two-putt birdie at the long 16th, where he reached the green with a fivewood second shot of 254 yards.

"My driving was really good today, so that's a great plus," he added.