Rory McIlroy survived a bizarre encounter with a banana peel lodged in a tree to shoot a 3-under 68 on Saturday at the Australian Open.
He’s nine strokes behind leader Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen of Denmark, who made clutch birdie putts on 17 and 18 for a 66 and a 54-hole total of 14-under 199.
Cam Smith, the 2022 Open champion who ended his streak of seven consecutive missed cuts on Friday, also fired a 66 Saturday and sits tied for second, just two strokes off the lead.
McIlroy’s round took a strange turn on the par-4 second hole, where his ball ended up under a small tree and beneath a banana peel apparently discarded by a spectator. While golfers can move loose impediments without penalty (as long as their ball doesn’t move), McIlroy’s attempt to hit through both the peel and branches failed miserably. His shot traveled only about 30 feet, leading to a double-bogey 6.
“It was sort of a double whammy — it was in the tough grass, and under a banana skin,” McIlroy said. “But I shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”
The Northern Irishman bounced back with a birdie on the next hole. After another bogey and birdie to finish the front nine at 1-over 35, he caught fire on the back, carding four birdies—including on the final two holes for the second straight day.
“I didn’t get off to a great start, but I played well from there,” said McIlroy, who made five birdies on his final 10 holes. “I am probably going to be too far behind to challenge tomorrow. But I’d love the course to keep getting firmer and firmer… and if it does I think I could go out there and shoot something very low, 8 or 9 under.”
Smith, clearly relieved to be in contention after his recent struggles, didn’t hide his emotions when addressing his improved play.
“It’s been a while since I’ve had this feeling to be honest,” Smith 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, who raised eyebrows before the tournament by suggesting Royal Melbourne wasn’t the best sandbelt course in the city, had an equally eventful opening round Thursday with six bogeys and five birdies.
The Race to Dubai winner, who completed his career Grand Slam by winning the Masters this year, is making his first appearance at the Australian Open since 2015. He won the event in 2013.
The Australian Open serves as the second event on the European tour’s new schedule. Its winner receives a Masters exemption next year, while the top three finishers not already exempt will qualify for The Open in 2026 at Royal Birkdale.
