THE OPEN: Three wood bears brunt of Rory McIlroy's frustrating third day at Troon

Playing his second to the par-five 16th, the Northern Irishman was unhappy with his shot and immediately launched the club forward, resulting in the head coming away from the shaft as it bounced down the fairway.

He still managed to make par on the hole but his hopes of cutting a significant chunk out of the advantage established by Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson failed to materialise on a testing day.

McIlroy has form for throwing his clubs, having launched his three iron into a lake at Doral during the WGC-Cadillac Championship in March last year - for which he told Press Association Sport he was fined £3,700, having escaped a greater sanction after apologising.

At the US Open in 2013 he also apologised for throwing one club and leaning so hard on another during the final round that he bent the shaft out of shape.

McIlroy signed for a 73, which included two birdies and three bogeys on the front nine but only one dropped shot coming home, but his two-over score left him well adrift.

“The clubhead came loose on it earlier in the week so I had to get it re-glued so it is partly to do with that and partly the throw itself,” said the four-time major winner.

“The (Nike) truck is still here so I’ll have it re-shafted tonight and all will be well in the morning.

“I let one go right on the previous hole, a three iron, and I did the same thing there. It was basically a bad swing.”

It was a frustrating day all round for McIlroy who could not get his round going early on to generate the momentum to make a move up the leaderboard.

“I have been saying all week you have to get off to a good start and be under par early and I wasn’t able to do that,” he added.

“I missed a couple of short ones (putts) on one and three but I birdied four and six and had a couple of other chances but just to be over par on the front was tough because you can’t expect to pick up too many shots on the back nine.

“I just wish I’d got off to a better start which would have given me more of a cushion going into the back nine”

Darren Clarke carded a 73 and is three over while Graeme McDowell’s 72 left him back on five over.

McDowell picked up shots at the first and 16th holes but his round was marred by a triple bogey at the par-three eighth.

Clarke, the 2011 champion, dropped shots at three of the last four holes.