MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Rory McIlroy survived a bizarre encounter with a banana peel lodged in a tree to shoot a 3-under 68 on Saturday at the Australian Open.
His round left him nine strokes behind leader Danish player Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who made birdie putts on the 17th and 18th for a 66 and a 54-hole total of 14-under 199.
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Cam Smith of Australia plays an approach shot on the 9th Hole during the first round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Cam Smith of Australia plays an approach shot on the 18th Hole during the first round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland (centre) reacts after completing his round with Adam Scott of Australia (Left) and Min Woo Lee of Australia (Right) during the first round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Adam Scott of Australia on the 9th Hole after completing his 1st round during the first round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts during the first round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays an approach shot on the 10th hole during the first round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Cam Smith, the 2022 British Open champion who ended his streak of missing seven consecutive cuts this year on Friday, also shot 66 Saturday and was tied for second, two strokes off the lead.
On the par-4 second hole, McIlroy missed the fairway and his ball ended up under a small tree and under a banana peel which had apparently been thrown away by a spectator.
Golfers are allowed to move loose impediments as long as the player’s ball doesn’t move in the process. If the ball had shifted as a result of trying to move a loose item, the player incurs a penalty.
So McIlroy tried in vain to hit his ball through the banana peel and the branches and back on to the fairway. But it only traveled about 30 feet and he ended up making a double bogey six.
“It was sort of a double whammy — it was in the tough grass, and under a banana skin,” McIlroy said. “But I shouldn't have been there in the first place.”
The Northern Irishman made birdie on the next hole and after another bogey and birdie to complete the front nine, shot a 1-over 35.
On the back nine which was played in often steady drizzle, McIlroy had four birdies, including on the final two holes as he had done on Friday, when he also shot 68.
"I didn’t get off to a great start, but I played well from there,” said McIlroy, who made five birdies on his final 10 holes Saturday.
“I am probably going to be too far behind to challenge tomorrow,” he added. “But I’d love the course to keep getting firmer and firmer . . . and if it does I think I could go out there and shoot something very low, 8 or 9 under.”
After all his missed cuts, Smith, with a bit of an edge to his comments, said that it was "nice being in contention.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve had this feeling to be honest," Smith said. “I love that it’s the Australian Open. I couldn’t think of a better place to get back into form. It would shut a few people up."
McIlroy, whose pre-tournament news conference included comments that Royal Melbourne was not the best sandbelt course in the city, had a wild opening round on Thursday containing six bogeys and five birdies.
McIlroy, the Race to Dubai winner and who completed his career Grand Slam when he won the Masters this year, is making his first appearance at the Australian Open since 2015. He won it in 2013.
The winner of the Australian Open, which is the second event on the European tour's new schedule of tournaments for late this year and 2026, receives a Masters exemption next year. And the top three finishers not already exempt will qualify for the British Open in 2026 at Royal Birkdale.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Cam Smith of Australia plays an approach shot on the 9th Hole during the first round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Cam Smith of Australia plays an approach shot on the 18th Hole during the first round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland (centre) reacts after completing his round with Adam Scott of Australia (Left) and Min Woo Lee of Australia (Right) during the first round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Adam Scott of Australia on the 9th Hole after completing his 1st round during the first round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts during the first round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays an approach shot on the 10th hole during the first round of the Australian Open golf tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
College football’s coaching carousel is slowing down after a dizzying frenzy. Eleven Power Four coaches were fired this fall and another in March. Kentucky's Mark Stoops was the last one shown the door and the fifth from the Southeastern Conference.
Unprecedented parity, revenue-sharing and access to the expanded College Football Playoff have created a win-now approach for administrators.
Florida State’s Mike Norvell, Maryland’s Mike Locksley, Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell and Baylor's Dave Aranda got hot-seat reprieves and will return in 2026.
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin's decision to leave for LSU sped up the hiring cycle, with Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield, North Texas coach Eric Morris, South Florida coach Alex Golesh and Tulane coach Jon Sumrall getting called up from the Group of Five to lead Power Four programs.
Here are the programs in the spotlight (in alphabetical order):
Fired: Sam Pittman, 63, on Sept. 28, 2025.
Record: 32-34 over six seasons, including 14-29 in the SEC.
Buyout: Nearly $9 million.
Interim: Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino.
Noteworthy: Petrino guided the Razorbacks between 2008 and 2011, showing improvement every year. His tenure ended after a motorcycle crash led to the admission of an affair with a former Arkansas volleyball player.
Replacement: The Razorbacks hired Silverfield on Nov. 30.
Fired: Hugh Freeze, 56, on Nov. 2, 2025
Record: 15-19 over three seasons, including 6-16 in the SEC.
Buyout: $15.8 million.
Interim: Defensive coordinator DJ Durkin.
Noteworthy: The 56-year-old Freeze failed to fix Auburn’s offensive issues in his three years on the Plains. The Tigers scored 24 or fewer points in 17 of his 22 league games.
Replacement: The Tigers hired Golesh on Nov. 30 and kept Durkin as DC.
Fired: Justin Wilcox, 49, on Nov. 23, 2025.
Record: 48-55 over nine seasons, including 26-47 in conference play (21-37 in the Pac-12, 5-10 in the ACC).
Buyout: Roughly $10.9 million.
Interim: Former Hawaii and Washington State coach Nick Rolovich.
Noteworthy: Longtime NFL coach and first-year Cal general manager Ron Rivera made the move following a lopsided loss to Stanford that assured Wilcox of never having a winning record in conference play with the Bears.
Replacement: The Golden Bears hired Tosh Lupoi on Dec. 4, bringing back a former player and assistant who has been Oregon’s defensive coordinator for the past four seasons.
Fired: Billy Napier, 46, on Oct. 19, 2025.
Record: 22-23 over four seasons, including 12-16 in the SEC.
Buyout: About $21 million.
Interim: Receivers coach Billy Gonzales.
Noteworthy: Napier was almost always in the crosshairs, in part because he declined to give up play-calling duties as the Gators’ offense failed to make progress.
Replacement: The Gators hired Sumrall on Nov. 30.
Fired: Mark Stoops, 58, on Dec. 1, 2025.
Record: 82-80 over 13 seasons (with 10 wins vacated), including 25-68 in the SEC.
Buyout: Approximately $37.7 million, with all it due within 60 days. But the sides were working to spread that out over time.
Interim: None.
Noteworthy: Stoops was the longest-tenured coach in the SEC.
Replacement: The Wildcats hired Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein hours after Stoops' dismissal.
Fired: Brian Kelly, 64, on Oct. 26, 2025.
Record: 34-14 over four seasons, including 19-10 in the SEC.
Buyout: About $54 million, which the school agreed to pay after Kelly sued for the full amount.
Interim: Associate head coach/running backs coach Frank Wilson.
Noteworthy: Kelly’s buyout is the second largest in the history of college athletics. It was the first time Kelly had been fired in his coaching career.
Replacement: The Tigers hired Kiffin on Nov. 30.
Fired: Jonathan Smith, 46, on Nov. 30, 2025.
Record: 9-15 over two seasons, including 4-14 in the Big Ten.
Buyout: More than $30 million.
Interim: Defensive Coordinator Joe Rossi.
Noteworthy: Smith was under fire from the moment Michigan State hired him late in 2023. He previously went 34-35 in six years at Oregon State.
Replacement: The Spartans hired former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald on Dec. 1.
Fired: Mike Gundy, 58, on Sept. 23, 2025.
Record: 170-90 over 21 seasons, including 102-72 in the Big 12.
Buyout: $15 million.
Interim: Offensive coordinator Doug Meacham.
Noteworthy: Gundy went viral in 2007 for shouting “Come after me! I’m a man! I’m 40!” while defending one of his players.
Replacement: The Cowboys hired Morris on Nov. 25.
Fired: James Franklin, 53, on Oct. 12, 2025.
Record: 104-45 over 12 seasons, including 64-36 in the Big Ten.
Buyout: More than $49 million, although it was negotiated down to $9 million before he got another job (Virginia Tech).
Interim: Associate head coach Terry Smith.
Noteworthy: Franklin became the first coach since 1978 to lose consecutive games (UCLA, Northwestern) while being favored by 20 or more points.
Replacement: Penn State on Dec. 5 hired Matt Campbell, who went 72-55 in 10 seasons at Iowa State. The Nittany Lions initially targeted BYU's Kalani Sitake, but he signed a long-term extension with the Cougars.
Fired: Troy Taylor, 56, on March 25, 2025.
Record: 6-18 over two seasons, including 4-13 in conference play (2-7 in the Pac-12, 2-6 in the ACC).
Buyout: Unknown.
Interim: Longtime NFL coach Frank Reich.
Noteworthy: General manager Andrew Luck fired Taylor in March following reports that the coach allegedly mistreated staffers and then asked Reich to fill in for a season.
Replacement: The Cardinal hired Tavita Pritchard on Nov. 28.
Fired: DeShaun Foster, 45, on Sept. 14, 2025.
Record: 5-10 over two seasons, including 3-6 in the Big Ten.
Buyout: $6.43 million.
Interim: Special assistant Tim Skipper.
Noteworthy: Foster was fired three games into his second season, with athletic director Martin Jarmond acknowledging he made a mistake by giving the inexperienced Foster the job.
Replacement: The Bruins have targeted James Madison’s Bob Chesney as their next football coach.
Fired: Brent Pry, 55, on Sept. 14, 2025.
Record: 16-24 over four seasons, including 10-13 in the ACC.
Buyout: About $6 million.
Interim: Offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery.
Noteworthy: Since Pry’s dismissal, the university voted to increase the athletics department budget by $229.2 million over the next four years. The bump for 2026 ups Tech’s athletic budget to $190.1 million, placing it among the top third in the ACC.
Replacement: The Hokies hired Franklin on Nov. 17.
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
FILE -Jacksonville Jaguars defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi, right, calls out instructions on the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Jan. 9, 2022, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
