BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA
Rory McIlroy survived one of the strangest moments of his career — a golf ball trapped beneath a banana peel — before recovering to post a 3-under 68 on Saturday at the Australian Open. The four-time major champion now sits nine shots off the lead, trailing Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who closed with clutch birdies on the 17th and 18th holes to record a 66 and reach 14-under 199 after 54 holes.
Cam Smith, the 2022 British Open champion who ended a run of seven straight missed cuts on Friday, surged back into contention with a Saturday 66 that lifted him into a share of second, just two strokes behind Neergaard-Petersen. Smith’s strong play has drawn enthusiastic support from home fans eager to see him return to form on Australian soil.
McIlroy’s round, however, will be remembered for an unlikely incident on the par-4 second hole. After pulling his tee shot, his ball settled in thick grass beneath a small tree — and directly under a discarded banana peel apparently tossed aside by a spectator. Under the rules, he was allowed to move the peel as a loose impediment, but only if his ball remained still. With the risk of a penalty too high, he attempted to play the shot as it lay. The ball advanced barely 30 feet, leading to a double-bogey six.
“It was sort of a double whammy — it was in the tough grass and under a banana skin,” McIlroy said afterward. “But I shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”
Despite the unusual setback, McIlroy responded with characteristic resilience. He birdied the next hole, played the rest of the front nine in 1-over, and caught fire on the back nine despite steady drizzle. He produced four birdies coming home — including on the final two holes for the second straight day — to match Friday’s 68.
“I didn’t get off to a great start, but I played well from there,” he said. “I’m probably too far behind to really challenge tomorrow, but if the course firms up, I think I could shoot something very low — maybe 8 or 9 under.”
Smith, meanwhile, relished being back in the mix after a rocky season. “It’s been a while since I’ve had this feeling,” he said. “I love that it’s the Australian Open. I couldn’t think of a better place to get back into form. It would shut a few people up.”
McIlroy entered the week having sparked conversation by saying Royal Melbourne was not the best sandbelt course in the region. His play has been similarly unpredictable — an opening round featuring six bogeys and five birdies set the tone for a wild tournament so far. But with his Race to Dubai title secured and his career Grand Slam completed at the Masters earlier this year, he has embraced the challenge of returning to the Australian Open for the first time since 2015. He previously won the event in 2013.
Significant rewards remain at stake. The Australian Open doubles as the second stop on the European tour’s new late-year schedule, and the champion earns a coveted Masters exemption. The top three finishers not already qualified will also secure places in the 2026 British Open at Royal Birkdale.
With Neergaard-Petersen maintaining control, Smith mounting a passionate charge, and McIlroy hoping for one last surge, Sunday’s final round promises a compelling finish — banana peels aside.
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