Rory McIlroy found his Australian Open hopes dented in bizarre circumstances after an encounter with a stray banana peel.
On just the second hole of his third round at Royal Melbourne, McIlroy missed the fairway with his tee shot and his ball ended up under a small tree. When he reached the ball to play his second shot, he found that it was actually under a banana peel that had been thrown away by a spectator.
The rules state that golfers are allowed to move loose impediments providing the player’s ball doesn’t move in the process. However, if the ball had shifted as a result of McIlroy trying to move the banana peel, he would have incurred penalty strokes.
Have you ever seen this before?! 🤔
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) December 6, 2025
Rory McIlroy double bogeys the second hole after finding his ball next to a banana 🍌#AusOpenGolf pic.twitter.com/229POQPHct
Thus, the Northern Irishman opted to play it as it lay, trying to hit the ball through the banana peel and the branches to get it back in play but it travelled no more than 10 metres in front of him, remaining in deep grass.
The 2025 Masters champion ultimately ended up making a double-bogey six on the hole and voiced his frustration at leaving himself in that position after the round.
“It was sort of a double whammy,” he explained. “It was in the tough grass and under a banana skin. But I shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”
McIlroy actually recovered well after banana-gate, ultimately shooting a three-under-par round of 68 that leaves him nine strokes behind leader Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen heading into the final round.
The Danish star birdied the 17th and 18th to card a 66 and move to 14-under for the tournament, two shots clear of home favourite Cam Smith, Si Woo Kim and Carlos Ortiz.
McIlroy made a birdie straight after his double bogey and although another bogey soon followed, he recovered with five birdies in his final 10 holes to salvage the day.
“I didn't get off to a great start, but I played well from there,” McIlroy admitted.
“I am probably going to be too far behind to challenge tomorrow, 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, eight- or nine-under.”
McIlroy caused some controversy ahead of the tournament when he claimed that Royal Melbourne was not even the best sandbelt course in the city. The Race to Dubai winner is making his first appearance at the Australian Open since 2015, having won it in 2013.
