When Rory McIlroy dropped a shot on the 14th at Royal Melbourne, his match seemed in tatters.
Nonetheless struggling to learn the greens — a problem that plagued him yesterday as properly — McIlroy could not discover sufficient birdies to maintain himself snug. His card was clear, bogey-free for a lot of the day, nevertheless it was additionally filled with missed possibilities, his putts typically edging the cup, some others left simply quick. It actually was a ‘almost’ day, and he spent most of it hovering precariously across the reduce line.
The 36-year-old reached the again 9 at one-under for the spherical after a entrance 9 of 1 birdie and eight pars. 4 extra consecutive pars adopted to start his again 9, taking him right into a scoreable stretch of the composite course that includes two par 5s and a par 3.
However as a substitute of surging up the leaderboard, catastrophe struck when his drive on the par-5 14th drifted proper right into a brutal lie beneath bushes.
With a restricted backswing, he made an unthinkable airswing that price him a stroke. His subsequent try barely superior, staying within the tough, and his fourth discovered the bunker. He wanted to stand up and down simply to avoid wasting bogey. He did, however the injury was accomplished, and he was one-over and again to even for the day.
“Not one in every of my finer moments on 14, I can not keep in mind the final time I had a recent air,” McIlroy stated after his spherical.
“I used to be attempting to get in actually low, flick it again within the play, and caught a department on the way in which down and utterly missed the ball.”
With 4 holes to play, McIlroy was exterior the reduce and fading quick. In the meantime, Adam Scott had eagled the identical gap, and Min Woo Lee produced an unbelievable second, holing out for eagle on the troublesome par-4 tenth.
MIN WOO LEE HOLES OUT FOR EAGLE! 🤯🤯#AusOpenGolf pic.twitter.com/LHuBtCA6mS
— Australian Open (@AusOpenGolf) December 5, 2025
The Northern Irishman, nevertheless, was going the opposite manner. His enjoying companions made a critical climb up the leaderboard whereas he slipped. However you by no means doubt class.
McIlroy instantly clawed a shot again with a birdie on 15. A par on 16 adopted. That put him again to even, one-under for the day, and simply contained in the projected reduce.
“The drive on 15 was a giant shot as a result of that was, it might have been a turning level a technique or one other, I do not hit that tee shot properly, and also you’re taking a look at one other bogey, however gave myself a straightforward sufficient birdie,” he stated.
Then got here the par-5 seventeenth, and as soon as once more his drive veered proper into the tough, leaving his match on a knife’s edge. A shrub restricted his swing and compelled him to form the ball from an ungainly place. He swung by means of, uncertain the place the ball had even gone, till it reappeared excessive, landed softly and completed safely on the inexperienced. In opposition to all odds, he had an extended eagle putt. His first putt was shut, leaving a tap-in birdie. It felt like his weekend hinged on that very second.
However he wasn’t bothered.
“I actually hoped that I wasn’t going to recent air that one, however the factor is, even when I had tried to put up, I used to be nonetheless having to cope with that,” he stated. “So it is like, properly, I could as properly hit one thing exhausting, get velocity into it, and hopefully it does not have an effect on it an excessive amount of and fortunately it got here out fairly properly.”
Rory erupts the group 🤯@CrownResorts | #AusOpenGolf pic.twitter.com/jZ5uq48TfN
— Australian Open (@AusOpenGolf) December 5, 2025
Solely needing a bogey on 18th, he piped his tee shot down the center, discovered the inexperienced along with his nine-iron, and rolled in one other birdie, finishing a birdie-birdie end, three birdies in his remaining 4 holes, and a outstanding salvage job to one way or the other maintain his match alive regardless of his apparent troubles.
McIlroy admitted he felt a way of reduction making the reduce. However wanting forward, he is aware of he wants to start out touchdown extra putts.
“I believe that will’ve been a giant downer for everybody concerned if I wasn’t right here for the weekend,” he stated.
“I actually struggled once more on the greens at present. I struggled with the velocity. I believe lots of people did, even Adam and Min Woo leaving a whole lot of downhill putts quick. They appear actually quick and so they look shiny, however they’re simply not fairly there after not being reduce yesterday.
“Hopefully the greens can stand up to their regular velocity over the weekend. I putted okay, I’ve holed some good ones, however I’ve actually missed my justifiable share as properly. So few extra putts dropping could be good to see.”
Whereas McIlroy was battling for survival on the market, the Australians round him have been excellent. Min Woo Lee continued his blistering kind to achieve -8 and sit outright third after one other very good day, highlighted by his beautiful hole-out eagle on the tenth. Scott and Cam Smith additionally powered up the leaderboard, each ending at -7 to share fourth after sensible rounds of their very own. It was a dominant day for the native stars, and a relatively sharp distinction to the grind McIlroy endured.
On the high of the board, Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and Portugal’s Daniel Rodrigues head into the weekend as co-leaders at nine-under. Each produced composed, high-quality second rounds to separate themselves from a crowded chasing pack and arrange an enchanting battle over the ultimate two days.
Make amends for how the day unfolded under:
