Rory McIlroy secures weekend spot with a strong finish

Rory McIlroy narrowly avoided elimination at the Australian Open, securing a weekend spot thanks to a clutch performance on his final holes. Despite a mishap involving an air swing at the fourteenth that led to a bogey, the Northern Irishman rallied with three late birdies to finish at two under. He remains seven shots behind the joint leaders, Portugal’s Daniel Rodrigues and Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who sit at nine under. Neergaard-Petersen carded a 66, aided by an eagle, while Rodrigues fired a superb 64.

Chasing them are local favorites Min Woo Lee, trailing by one, and major champions Cameron Smith and Adam Scott, who are two back. Smith impressed with a flawless 65.

McIlroy, recently crowned Masters champion to complete his Grand Slam, remains optimistic about closing the gap. Meanwhile, Neergaard-Petersen expressed confidence in his ability to contend for the title on Sunday against this competitive field at Royal Melbourne.