A whiff. A rally. Rory McIlroy is giving Australian Open fans everything they could ask for at Royal Melbourne
MELBOURNE, Australia — The gallery cheered on the 15th tee at Royal Melbourne’s Composite course when Rory McIlroy put a long iron back in the bag and reached for the driver on the short but tricky par 4.
The Crown Australian Open crowds had just witnessed a rare whiff from the Masters champion in some trees at the par-5 14th. The resulting bogey had organizers biting their nails when the tournament main attraction fell to one over par and a shout outside the cutline.
“That was not one of my finer moments on 14,” McIlroy said afterward. “I can’t remember the last time I had a fresh air [swing].”
It was time for the Northern Irishman to show the Aussie galleries the McIlroy they came to see. The dogleg right 15th had confused McIlroy all week, but he blasted a drive 375 yards just short of the green. He made birdie, then another from the trees at the par-5 17th. He added one more with a sublime short iron into the 18th for a three-under 68 that left him at two under and seven shots behind 36-hole co-leaders Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (66) and Daniel Rodrigues (64) at nine under—but playing two more rounds. Home hero Min Woo Lee holed out for eagle during a 65 that took him to eight under.
“Absolutely [I’m relieved]; I think it would have been a big downer for everyone involved if I wasn’t here for the weekend. The drive on 15 was a big shot because it could have been a turning point one way or another,” McIlroy said. “If I don’t hit that tee shot well, I’m looking at another bogey. I needed to play those last four holes the way I did.”
Lee and McIlroy’s playing partner Adam Scott was seven under tied with 2022 Open Championship winner Cam Smith (65) and LIV golfer Carlos Ortiz (70).
On Friday, enormous crowds packed into the Alister MacKenzie gem, a three-time Presidents Cup host course, to get a glimpse of career grand slam winner. “It’s incredible,” McIlroy said of the atmosphere. “I said to Adam [Scott] walking up the first [hole] it didn’t feel like a Friday afternoon round, it felt like we were going out in the final group on Sunday. That scene on the first tee was amazing; then walking up the last and everyone is still here.”
That’s because they were entertained from start to finish. McIlroy may have only managed one birdie in 13 holes before his dramatic finish, but Lee was box office on his own. The PGA Tour’s Houston Open winner last March holed out for eagle with a 9-iron from 200 yards at Royal Melbourne’s par-4 10th and celebrated with a soccer-like aeroplane run.
“It was just random and felt good,” Lee said. “It was a big crowd, so I was just doing random stuff. [The third and fourth rounds] are going to be unbelievable. If I keep playing like this, it’s very solid golf, I’ll be pretty happy.”
With a host of popular players in the mix, the stage is set for a grandstand finish at the Australian Open. Organizers are expecting almost 50,000 fans over the closing rounds and the winner will be invited to the 2026 Masters. The top three finishers not already exempt for the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale will also earn spots, too.
McIlroy doesn’t have to worry about that. He’ll be setting the Champions dinner menu at Augusta National. But the 2013 Australian Open winner dearly wants a second Stonehaven Cup—and to elevate the national championship in one of his most treasured golfing nations.
“I don’t feel I’m that far behind. I’ll go out early tomorrow, hopefully in some good conditions, shoot a low one and get myself back in there,” McIlroy said.
“I’ve always said it, but that’s the potential this country has to have these really, really big events. The other two events happening in other places of the world [the Hero World Challenge and Nedbank Golf Challenge] have nothing like the atmosphere this tournament has. It has so much potential and it’s great to see so many people come out and support the tournament.”
