A banana pores and skin derailed Rory McIlroy’s cost on the Australian Open on Saturday with the world quantity two 9 behind rock-solid Dane Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen who heads a stacked discipline by two photographs.
With big crowds following him in intermittent showers at Royal Melbourne, the Northern Irishman opened his third spherical with a par earlier than catastrophe struck.
He missed the golf green on the par-four second on the DP World Tour occasion, along with his ball touchdown subsequent to an enormous tuft of grass and underneath a discarded banana pores and skin.
McIlroy couldn’t take away it for worry of the ball shifting, inflicting a penalty. The Masters champion may solely hack it out 10 metres and was unable to stand up and down, making a double-bogey.
Undeterred, he picked up a shot on the subsequent — one in all six birdies, blended with a bogey, in a rollercoaster spherical of 68 as he bids for a second Australian Open title.
“It was type of a double whammy,” he stated. “It was in that little tuft of lengthy grass, after which the banana pores and skin over it.
“I shouldn’t have been there within the first place, was a horrible tee shot. It wasn’t the easiest way to begin, however I felt like I performed nicely after that.
“In all probability going to be somewhat too far behind to attempt to problem tomorrow,” he added. “However I’ll attempt to finish the week on a constructive notice, and go on the market and shoot my my lowest rating of the week.”
McIlroy will want one thing particular to reel in Neergaard-Petersen, who’s gunning for a primary European tour title.
The Dane ended with three birdies amongst seven in his 66 to be 14-under for the match going into the ultimate spherical.
It earned him a two-shot benefit from a gaggle of three together with resurgent main champion Cameron Smith (66), four-time PGA Tour winner Kim Si-woo of South Korea (65) and Mexican LIV participant Carlos Ortiz (66).
A chip-in eagle on the 14th propelled Australia’s Smith into the outright lead, however a bogey on the final ruined his card.
It was nonetheless an enormous increase for the LIV golfer, who has been in an alarming droop of type, lacking his final seven cuts together with in any respect 4 majors this yr.
“I simply really feel like I didn’t have my finest stuff on the market right now,” stated Smith.
“I positively didn’t really feel as snug over the ball, however simply went by the method and hit the suitable photographs and didn’t actually shrink back from that.
“I don’t assume something has to alter, actually,” he added of his plan for Sunday. “I’ll most likely go hit a couple of balls now, simply clear up some stuff.”
Spain’s Jose Luis Ballester is a shot additional again, one forward of Australians Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee and New Zealander Daniel Hillier.
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