Here he comes! Smith surges into lead in epic Aus open revival as Rory double act stuns — LIVE

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Here he comes! Smith surges into lead in epic Aus open revival as Rory double act stuns — LIVE

For the second straight day, Rory McIlroy has managed to record a birdie on the par five 17th despite putting his drive behind the trees.

Spraying his tee shot right, McIlroy had to manoeuvre around the trees with his second shot. He was able to do so with class, with his ball landing just off the green where he managed to get up and down for birdie.

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He was faced with a similar scenario on Friday but was also able to get out of a trouble with a terrific recovery shot and make birdie.

McIlroy is in the clubhouse with a score of -5 for the tournament, five shots off the lead.

“I’m probably going to be a little too far behind to challenge but hopefully I can finish my week on a high and record my best score of the four days,” he told Fox Sports’ Paul Gow post-round.

Meanwhile, Cam Smith has continued his resurgence with a strong start in Round 3. He’s in a tie for the lead with five players on -10.

After missing the cut at the Australia PGA Championship in Brisbane, Smith is -3 for the day and -10 for the tournament.

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AUSSIE YOUNG GUN LIGHTS UP ROYAL MELBOURNE

World No. 740 Jack Buchanan has been the biggest mover in Round 3, with the Aussie lighting up Royal Melbourne on Saturday to record a seven under 64 to rocket into contention.

Buchanan will start Round 4 on seven under par and just a few shots off the lead.

It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for the 23-year-old, who won entry onto the 2026 DP World Tour last month after a gruelling qualifying schedule in what is a massive leap forward in the young gun’s professional journey.

Sitting just above the cut line at the end of Round 2, Buchanan is now a live hope of lifting the Stonehaven Cup on Sunday afternoon.

Buchanan felt early on Saturday that it was going to be a good day.

“I holed a 20-footer downhill and as soon as that went in I was like, yeah, I’m on today,” Buchanan told foxsports.com.au.

“As soon as I made the cut I was pretty stoked and I knew that I was playing good enough to go low today.

“I think I can still go low tomorrow. I think the way they set the course up today is pretty tough on some pins you need to manage your ball well.

“I think it can be one of those ones where you either go seven under or you go over par if you don’t manage your ball properly.”

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 04: Jack Buchanan of Australia plays his second shot on the 11th hole on day one of the Crown Australian Open 2025 at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club on December 04, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

BANANA PEEL THWARTS RORY

More information has come to light about Rory McIlroy’s double bogey on the 2nd hole – and it has to be seen to be believed.

McIlroy’s wayward drive on two landed on a banana peel which had been tossed into a tea tree.

Golfers are allowed to move loose impediments as long as the player’s ball doesn’t move in the process. If the ball had shifted as a result of trying to move a loose item, the player is slapped with a penalty.

Instead, McIlroy took his medicine and hit off the banana peel. It was always going to be fraught with danger though with McIlroy’s ball travelling just ten metres.

SMITH HUNTS REDEMPTION

Cameron Smith is back in business and has the Australian Open firmly in his sights ahead of what promises to be a fascinating third round at Royal Melbourne.

Rory McIlroy will tee off a little earlier than he would have liked – at 9.39am – as he tries to make up ground on the leaders, starting the weekend seven shots off the pace at -2.

While later in the day, all eyes will be on superstar Australian trio Smith, Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee, who will all start the day within two shots of the lead.

Lee (-8) will head out in the final group alongside overnight leaders Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and Daniel Rodrigues (-9), while Smith and Scott (-7) are in the group prior along with Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz.

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Smith not only surged into contention with a bogey free, six-under par 65 on Friday, but also snapped a streak of seven straight missed cuts in world ranking events.

The LIV star missed the weekend at all four majors this year, as well as in his hometown of Brisbane at last week’s Australian PGA Championship, but appeared to have turned the corner at Royal Melbourne and he is not satisfied with simply making up the numbers.

“Yeah, it’s definitely a relief, but I’m not here to make the cut. I’m here to win the Stonehaven Cup and I’ve put myself in a good spot to do that, so really happy with that,” Smith told reporters at Royal Melbourne on Friday.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 05: Cameron Smith of Australia walks on the green on day two of the Crown Australian Open 2025 at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club on December 05, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Josh Chadwick/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

The string of poor results have certainly been disheartening for the 2022 Open champion, but he believes he may now reap the rewards for continuing the push through the tough times on the course.

“Yeah, I’d like to think of myself as a pretty gritty player,” Smith said.

“The way how things have been going, that grittiness just gets knocked out quicker when something goes wrong or you have a bit of a bad stretch of holes.

“But it was nice to do that. It was nice to hole a few par putts, good par putts to keep the momentum going. Just holed a few putts really to keep the momentum up.”

The impressive crowds have been a major talking point of the first two rounds of the Australian Open, and with tickets sold out for the weekend, Rory mania is not ready to die down.

That means Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen and England’s James Morrison, who are grouped with McIlroy, are set for an unforgettable day, in front of crowds they would have dreamt of playing in front of.

The broadcast of the third round begins on Fox Sports and Kayo at 11am AEDT.

The Whiff & The Miracle – Rory Reacts | 01:24

AUSTRALIAN OPEN ROUND 3 TEE TIMES (AEDT)