Rory McIlroy has booked his place at the weekend’s play at the Australian Open, but that didn’t always look certain during his back nine.
In his first appearance at the event since 2014, the 2025 Masters winner found himself one-over-par and below the projected cut line with four holes to play.
But a strong finish saw him pick up three birdies in his final four holes, pulling him back inside the cut line and into Saturday’s field. He added two more birdies on 17 and 18, rounding out what had been a challenging couple of days. Thursday included six bogeys, and he struggled to find any real momentum on Friday around Royal Melbourne.
But after his round, McIlroy shared that it was Australian Cameron Smith who played a role in helping him secure that crucial late birdie stretch.
How Cam Smith helped Rory McIlroy make the cut at the Australian Open
By the time McIlroy reached the 15th hole, he knew exactly what was at stake. He needed to find birdies quickly if he wanted to avoid an early exit, and there wasn’t much room left for error.
But despite being one of just six players to have completed golf’s career Grand Slam, McIlroy didn’t hesitate to learn from others, using a strategy that helped him card a three on the par-four 15th.
He explained after his round: “When I was playing the pro-am on Wednesday, I was sort of debating with Harry what to do, and we looked back, and Cam Smith had hit driver off the tee, and hit it just short left of the green.
“I didn’t even think about that play, and I was like oh, that actually could be it. That was in the back of mymind, and today was the good wind to do it.
“I felt like I was at a point in the tournament when it was sort of then or never. I didn’t feel like it was an easy birdie from laying back, so took the driver and thankfully made a good swing.”
Cam Smith’s start at the Australian Open
Smith was despondent after the Australian PGA Championship when a disastrous second round saw him inexplicably miss the cut. But he’s picked himself back up in his home country to get into contention at the Australian Open.
Smith is two shots off the lead at seven-under after shooting a second-round 65. He’s been in poor form since Smith signed with LIV Golf, so it’s nice to see him back on form in front of his home fans.
It’s also been an encouraging start for Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott, who joined McIlroy in his group for the first two rounds.
Scott, Australia’s only Masters winner, is tied with Smith, but it’s Lee that leads the Aussies at eight-under.
The early leader is Rasmus Neergaard-Peterson, fresh off earning his PGA Tour card through strong results on the DP World Tour. He opened with a 67 and followed it up with a 66 to set the pace.
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