Rory McIlroy advances to the Australian Open weekend after a thrilling finish

Rory McIlroy secured his place in the Australian Open weekend after a thrilling finish, shooting a 3-under-par 68 on Friday to make the 36-hole cut. At 2-under for the tournament, McIlroy was seven strokes behind leaders Daniel Rodriques (64) and Rasmus Neergaard-Peterson (66), who were both at 9-under with a total of 133. Min Woo Lee, in third place, was one stroke back after carding a 65. Adam Scott (66) was tied for fourth with Cameron Smith (65), who avoided his eighth consecutive bogey.

McIlroy began the day at 1 over par, after a 72 on Thursday, sitting in 57th place, seven strokes off the lead. At that point, he was just one stroke above the expected cut of 2 over par. On his front nine, he carded a birdie and eight pars, but then bogeyed the par-5 14th, finding himself under a tree after missing the fairway. Despite the setback, he recovered to card a 6.

Although that bogey momentarily knocked him out of the cut, McIlroy recovered with a birdie on the par-3 15th, returning to even par and securing his place at least for the time being. After par on the 16th, he made a standout shot on the 17th, where, after a long eagle putt sailed wide, he sank a birdie from an area of uneven rough. This put him at 1 under par for the tournament and propelled him up about 20 spots on the leaderboard, guaranteeing his participation in the weekend, especially after another birdie on the 18th.

“With the wind, it felt like a different course today,” McIlroy commented. “I haven’t played my best golf the last few days, but it was nice to finish like this. I’m delighted to be here for the weekend… seven strokes isn’t too bad.” Regarding his poor shot from under the trees, he added, “Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I hit a shot like that. It wasn’t one of my best moments, but it’s good to be able to recover in the final holes.”.

Neergard-Peterson, the co-leader, had missed the cut the previous week at the Australian PGA Championship. “I definitely feel like I’ve shown over the last year that I have the level to compete here and be in the fight on Sunday,” Neergard-Peterson said.

Lee's second-round highlight came when he holed a 9-iron from 176 meters for eagle on the par-4 10th hole, celebrating with his arms raised in an airplane gesture. “I know it was random, but it felt good,” Lee said. “There were a lot of people around, so I was just doing random things.”.

McIlroy, who in a pre-tournament press conference mentioned that Royal Melbourne wasn't the best course in the city, had a difficult first round with six bogeys and five birdies. The Race to Dubai winner, who completed his Grand Slam by winning the Masters this year, returns to the Australian Open for the first time since 2015, having won the tournament in 2013.

The winner of the Australian Open, the second event on the European Tour's revised schedule for later this year and 2026, will receive an exemption for next year's Masters. In addition, the top three finishers who are not already exempt will qualify for the 2026 British Open at Royal Birkdale.