Harrington's bad finish takes the gloss off at Valspar

Pádraig Harrington was left to rue a bad finish at the Valspar

Pádraig Harrington was heading for his first sub-par Saturday round on the PGA Tour for more than nine months when he got bitten in the Snake Pit at Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead Course.

The Dubliner had scraped through the cut on the mark but after clawing his way up the leaderboard with a hat-trick of birdies in the middle of his back nine, he bogeyed the short 17th and double bogeyed the 18th after a bad tee shot and a three-putt.

It all added up to a one over 72 for the three-time major winner, who had followed eight opening pars with a bogey at the ninth before finding some spark.

In the end, he finished the day tied for 65th on four over par — 12 shots behind leader Robert Garrigus — and avoided the 54-hole cut.

That fell at five over, which meant that Darren Clarke survived right on the mark after he birdied the 18th from 10 feet for a 73.

Overnight leader Garrigus threatened to run away with the event when he birdied three of his first six holes.

But he missed two short putts for par  on the back nine and signed for a 70 and an eight under total that left him just one clear of Kevin Na (68) with John Senden (64) two back.

US Open champion Justin Rose is lurking just three behind on five under after a 69.

According to agency reporter, Na was so deliberate on the back nine that he received a bad time from officials on the 13th tee. His pairing with Garrigus was two holes behind on the back nine.