"I turned it on when I needed to" – McIlroy overcomes "fresh air" to keep Australian Open hopes alive
Rory McIlroy in action in Melbourne. Picture © Golf Australia
Rory McIlroy overcame a fresh air bogey that left him outside the cut line before he spectacularly birdied three of his last four holes to make the weekend in the Crown Australian Open.
The world number two and Masters champion started on one over par in front of huge crowds at Royal Melbourne’s Composite Course.
But after making an early birdie two at the fifth, he struggled again on the greens and found himself facing his first missed cut since June's Canadian Open.
When he had "fresh air" trying to chip out from under long hanging branches at the par-five 14th, a bogey six left him a shot outside the projected level par cut line, before he "turned it on" from there.
"Yeah, I needed it," McIlroy said of his late fightback to card a three-under 68 that still left him seven shots behind Denmark's Magnus Neergaard Petersen (66) and Portugal's Daniel Rodrigues (64).
"I needed to play those last four holes the way I did. Not one of my finer moments on 14, I can't remember the last time I had a fresh air.
"I was trying to get in really low, flick it back in the play, and caught a branch on the way down and completely missed the ball."
Hole 14: Misses the ball and makes bogey on a par five 😡
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) December 5, 2025
Hole 15: Nearly drives the green and becomes only the eighth player to birdie the 15th 🔥
McIlroy now sits within the cut line 💪#AusOpenGolf pic.twitter.com/nX2bZMMjr8
After laying up on Thursday, he decided to go for the green with a driver at the 383-yard 15th, and after making a chip and putt birdie, he made a great two-putt par at the short 16th before finishing with back-to-back birdies.
"The drive on 15 was a big shot because it could have been a turning point one way or another," McIlroy said.
"I don't hit that tee shot well, and you're looking at another bogey, but I gave myself an easy enough birdie on 15 and then yeah, I played the last few holes pretty well."
While he was tied for 28th on two under, McIlroy was just four shots behind the players in seventh and reckons he can get himself back in the mix with a low third round.
"I certainly haven't had my best stuff, but I turned it on when I needed to there the last few holes and go out tomorrow hopefully in some good conditions and shoot a low one and get myself right back in there," he said.
While his last two birdies were also special — a high cut with a five iron from the scrub to set up a two-putt birdie at the 17th, followed by a ripped approach to five feet at the last — his decision to unleash the driver at the 15th was key.
"The wind was in a good direction to hit it, and after making bogey on 14, I knew I needed to force the issue a little bit, and as I said, thankfully I made a good swing," he explained.
Rory McIlroy's final three holes 😍#AusOpenGolf pic.twitter.com/JQk8eBUcLf
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) December 5, 2025
He had tree trouble again at the 17th but managed to hammer a five-iron recovery to the front part of the green to set up an eagle chance.
"I certainly hoped that wasn't going to fresh air that one, but the thing is, even if I had tried to lay up, I was still having to contend with that (branch)," he said.
"So it's like, well, I may as well hit something hard, get speed into it, and hopefully it doesn't affect it too much, and thankfully it came out pretty well."
McIlroy did not rule out being more aggressive over the weekend, and while he admitted it was a relief to make the cut, he knows he has to make more putts.
"Absolutely," he said. "I think that would've been a big downer for everyone involved if I wasn't here for the weekend.
"I need to start making some putts. I really struggled again on the greens today. I struggled with the speed. I think a lot of people did, even Adam and Min Woo, leaving a lot of downhill putts short…
"I putted okay, I've holed some good ones, but I've certainly missed my fair share as well. So, a few more putts dropping would be nice to see."
As for the reception he's received in Australia, he was blown away by the support at an event where 25,000 crowds are expected this weekend.
"It's incredible," he said. "I said to Adam, walking up the first, it didn't feel like a Friday afternoon round. It felt like we were going out in the final group on a Sunday."
He added: "I've always said it, but that's the potential that this country has to have these really, really big events.
"The other two events that are happening in other places in the world have nothing like the atmosphere that this tournament has.
"So it has so much potential and it's just great to see so many people come out and support the tournament."
McIlroy's playing partners, Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee, are right in contention.
Lee shot 65 to lie just one stroke behind Neergaard-Petersen and Rodrigues, while Scott's 66 left him a shot further back in fourth alongside Mexico's Carlos Ortiz (70) and Cam Smith (65).
