Rory McIlroy turned embarrassment into brilliance with a late birdie blitz after an air swing nearly cost him the cut at the Australian Open.
Rory McIlroy’s air swing on the 14th hole nearly cost him a place in the Australian Open weekend field. Attempting a tricky recovery from the tea trees, he completely missed the ball, leading to a bogey and dropping him outside the cut line.
“I needed to play those last four holes the way I did,” McIlroy said after the round. “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.”
And he delivered. The Northern Irishman birdied three of his last four holes, including a clutch finish on 18, to sign for a 68 and move to two-under—comfortably inside the cut.
The late surge not only rescued his tournament but ensured the Australian Open retains its marquee name for what promises to be a blockbuster weekend.
Tournament organisers breathed a sigh of relief knowing their star attraction will be around after reportedly paying millions to secure his appearance.
Australian Open Leaderboard after Round 2
–9 Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, David Rodrigues
–8 Min Woo Lee
–7 Carlos Ortiz, Adam Scott, Cam Smith
–6 Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Ding Wenyi, Ryan Fox, Daniel Hillier, Si Woo Kim, Caleb Surrat