A spectacular tournament deserved a spectacular end, and so the 2025 Australian Open got what it deserved.
Just not the result her fans really wanted.
In a stunning upset on the 72nd hole, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen soared up and down from impossible territory in the long grass, right of the green – and then Cameron Smith tripled for bogey from the other end of the green, giving Neergaard-Petersen his first DP World Tour victory in the process.
Thousands from a sellout crowd pounded the final green as Smith and RNP came out tied for last, but after Neergaard-Petersen’s putt sailed straight into the hole, Smith found the green and put himself in the driver’s seat. It would have marked a storybook ending in Smith’s 2025; it’s the first cut he’s made in eight non-LIV starts this year. Instead, it marked a massive step in the right direction, but a particularly harsh way to come up short, too.
Instead, Neergaard-Petersen has his own perfect way to end 2025; just a year after playing (and winning) the HotelPlanner Tour, he’s played well enough to earn a PGA Tour card for 2026 and now his first DPWT win.
“To get the win here in my last event of the year was the only thing missing from a perfect year. I’m very happy,” he said in an interview after the round.
We’ll have more to say about this glorious golf tournament, but in the meantime here are some notes from Royal Melbourne.
– With the victory, Neergaard-Petersen also qualifies for the Masters; this is the first year the Australian Open has been given a pass and he took full advantage.
“It means the world. The Masters is the event that I grew up watching so many times, just dreaming of playing,” he said.
-He is also the first Dane to win the Australian Open.
– His winning shot was outstanding. A big shot with perfect confidence and speed.
-Smith’s three-pointer was understandable, if unfortunate; he was hitting the last green from miles away and his first shot broke a ridiculous amount.
-Smith’s birdie putt on No. 17 to stay tied was pretty good.
-Three players (Si Woo Kim, Michael Hollick) to earn a spot in the 2026 Open Championship. This is huge for Hollick, who has never played a major. It’s also massive for Scott, who is now in line to play in the top four for the 25th straight season. Strange generation.
-Rory McIlroy’s week was clearly significant for the man himself, as well as for the thousands of people who followed him around Royal Melbourne. It’s only fitting, then, that he ends with the lush and delightful numbers 17 and 18 to go out on a high note.
“It’s been absolutely amazing,” McIlroy said after the round. “I’ve been excited to get back here for a while.
“Obviously it’s been over 10 years since I’ve played in the Australian Open and I think just look at the scenes there this week, the crowds, the golf course, they were absolutely incredible.”
Good news: he’ll be back next year.
We will be too.
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