Rory McIlroy stumped by unlikely obstacle on second hole as Australians soar into strong position in title chase
Rory McIlroy may not have had the best of starts to the third round at the Royal Melbourne, but he very well did not expect to face an unlikely obstacle on the course.
In what will be one of the most bizarre double-bogey shots of his career, McIlroy found himself stuck in the trees on the second hole, where his ball laid next to a banana peel.
The Irishman refused to move the banana peel aside in bid to avoid any potential mishap that caused his ball to roll further into the rough and result in a one-stroke penalty.
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Instead, the reigning Masters champion chipped the ball forward about 10m ahead.
"It was a bit of a double-whammy as it was in that turf of long grass with a banana skin over it," McIlroy laughed, speaking to reporters at the day's end about the incident.
Rory McIlroy is forced to take a shot next to a banana skin. Twitter
"I shouldn't have been there in the first place after a terrible tee shot. It wasn't the best way to start."
McIlroy went on to record a double bogey on the hole before hitting back with a birdie on the next hole.
The obstacles did not stop there for McIlroy, although they were no longer physical objects, with the 36-year-old hitting a bogey on the seventh.
By the ninth hole, he had reached one-over for the day.
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However, a couple of late birdies saw him move to five-under for the tournament and remain an outside chance of challenging the leaders.
"Overall I am happy with how I responded," McIlroy continued.
"It wasn't the best way to start, but I felt I played well after that."
Cameron Smith tees off on the 7th. Getty
Meanwhile, Australia's Cameron Smith moved into the lead after sinking an eagle on the 14th hole on Saturday afternoon.
The Australian only enhanced his result as the day went on, finishing six-under and bringing his total to 12-under for the tournament.
Yet, he did not get to hold on to the top spot at the day's close, with Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen producing a late surge to finish five-under and bring his tournament total to 14-under.
Smith is no the only Australian within shot of the title, with Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott tied for sixth at 10-under leading into the final day.
