'Straight into the bushes': Min Woo Lee escapes from 'unplayable' position from first hole

Min Woo Lee's first shot of the third round at the Australian Open couldn't have gone any worse - but the cult hero managed to escape from an "unplayable" position.

From the opening hole on Saturday and rain coming down in Melbourne, the 27-year-old's drive went incredibly wide as he looked at his club in disbelief.

"This is miles right, straight toward the bushes," Nick O'Hern quipped on Nine.

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The camera soon panned to the ball stuck in the middle of the bushes and Lee knew immediately he was facing an impossible situation.

Lee was forced to take a penalty shot to get himself out of the bushes.

"He's already taking an unplayable penalty drop - not the ideal start," O'Hern said.

Remarkably however, after taking the ball a few metres back from the bushes, Lee launched it over the top and it landed perfectly on the green, close to the pin.

"He has that for par and the chance to escape after taking the unplayable," lead commentator Brenton Speed said on Nine. 

Lee missed his initial putt on the par-four hole and then tapped it in shortly after.

Elsewhere, Rory McIlroy had some nice moments on Saturday morning but still remains well off the lead following a tough second round.

McIlroy was even for the third round after 12 holes and 2-under for the tournament.

Australian star Cameron Green remained in striking distance of the lead at 9-under, just one shot behind Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen.

Smith had two early birdies on Saturday after failing to make the cut at the Australian PGA Championship last weekend and surged right up the leaderboard.

Adam Scott sat level with Lee in tied for sixth at 7-under.