Cameron Smith has come up just short in his bid for a coveted maiden Australian Open title as Denmarkâ€s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen made an up-and-down for the ages on the final hole at Royal Melbourne.
The pair were tied at 15-under coming to the par four-18th on Sunday and it looked as though Smith was in the box seat when he landed his second shot on the green.
Neergaard-Petersen blocked his approach right and into the long rough between the bunkers.
But he conjured a miracle chip to 15 feet and nervelessly drained the par putt.
His Austalian rival could do no better than three-putt for bogey, with a heartbreaking missed putt allowing the Dane to triumph by a single shot.
Neergaard-Petersen had such a strong debut season on the DP World Tour that he secured his PGA Tour card for 2026.
“Itâ€s hard, Iâ€m really at a loss for words – itâ€s been a battle all day,†the 26-year-old said.
“You know, even from the outside, sometimes you can look calm, but there was a storm inside all day today.
“But I managed to just keep battling, and then to get it up and down from there, to make that putt on the last.â€
The third member of the final group, Koreaâ€s Si Woo Kim, bogeyed the last but held on to outright third spot at 13-under.
Cameron Smith after missing a putt on the 18th green on day four. Photograph: Josh Chadwick/Getty Images
The 32-year-old Smith had a final round of two-under 69, with his long winless streak now dating back to LIV Golf Bedminster in August 2023.
Smith has won the Australian PGA Championship three times but has made no secret of the fact that – outside the majors – the Australian Open is the title he craves most.
Smith and Neergaard-Petersen went toe to toe on Sundayâ€s back nine.
The Australian went ahead for the first time at the 10th hole, before the Dane levelled it up two holes later.
Neergaard-Petersen edged back into a one-shot lead at the 13th, only for Smith to tie it up again with a birdie on 14.
Both birdied the par-5 17th, with Smith making a clutch up and down after flaring his approach shot wide to the right.
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South African Michel Hollick had the low round of the day with a six-under 65 to shoot up the leaderboard to outright fourth at 12-under, a shot clear of Australian Adam Scott.
After starting the final round right in contention for a second Stonehaven Cup, the 45-year-old Australian never really got going on Sunday as he signed for a one-under 70.
The tournament drawcard Rory McIlroy had a rollercoaster final day, mixing five birdies with three bogeys in a two-under 69 that left him in a tie for 14th at seven-under.
Also in the group at seven-under was Australian crowd favourite Min Woo Lee, who had a disappointing final round of three-over 74.
McIlroy, who will return to play the 2026 Australian Open at nearby Kingston Heath, hopes his appearance this year will convince more of the worldâ€s best golfers to join him.
The gallery looks on as Rory McIlroy reads the green on the fifth hole. Photograph: Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP
The Northern Irishman was treated like a rock star at Royal Melbourne, justifying his million-dollar appearance fee as McIlroy-mania brought in sell-out crowds with fans desperate for a glimpse of the grand slam winner.
“I said at the start of the week this is a golf tournament thatâ€s got so much potential and I think it showed a little bit of that potential this week,†said McIlroy, who won the 2013 Australian Open and last played it 10 years ago.
“I wish I could have been in contention and been coming down the stretch and battling with the boys, but itâ€s been an amazing week.â€
With deep galleries on every hole he played beamed around the world, the 2025 Masters champion believed heâ€d played his part in shifting the dial for the Open.
“I think the scenes and just how this tournament has looked on TV all week, you have that on in Europe or back in the States or whatever and it makes an impact,†McIlroy said.
“If you compare this tournament to the other two tournaments going on in the world of golf this week, thereâ€s no comparison.â€
Committing to a two-year deal, McIlroy will play in the 2026 Open at nearby Kingston Heath, which he controversially described pre-tournament as a better course than Royal Melbourne.
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