Rory McIlroy has posted a two-under 69 to finish the week at seven-under, a spirited effort but ultimately too little to trouble the contenders. Once again the world No. 2 drew the biggest galleries on course, but the early bogeys today and the nine-shot deficit left him too far back to make a real dent.
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen claimed the Stonehaven Cup in a wild ending on the 18th. After missing the green and finding the long grass between the bunkers, the 26-year-old was forced to conjure a clutch up-and-down, which he delivered. Local hope Cam Smith was conservative wth his approach, leaving himself a long birdie attempt.
When the Dane rolled in his 10-foot par putt, Smith still had a five-footer to force a playoff, just one hole after nailing a huge putt on 17 to stay level. This time, though, the putt stayed out.
It was an incredible finish to an entertaining tournament, one Rory added so much to despite finishing in a tie for 14th.
McIlroy was the marquee drawcard after committing to the Open for the next two years, and the crowds responded, pouring in to watch him all week. His four rounds of 71, 68, 68, and 69 had a bit of everything. We saw plenty of world-class moments and a few misfortunes as well. The banana-peel double bogey on Day 3 was the standout drama, as were the outrageous escapes from the rough on Day 2 just to make the cut, after it briefly looked like he might not.
He admitted throughout the week that adjusting to the sandbelt wasn't easy, made tougher by classic Melbourne variability with scorching heat on Thursday, wind and rain Saturday, then cool, sunny and perfect for the finale.
The changing conditions challenged the field but only added intrigue for fans. McIlroy's -7 total reflected a week where he repeatedly gave himself strong birdie looks but couldn't convert enough of them. Yet he closed strongly each day, birdieing the par-5 17th and par-4 18th in the final three rounds.
Day 4 looked ominous early when he picked up two birdies in his first three holes to move quickly to two-under for the round. Starting nine shots behind the eventual champion, he needed something extraordinary to happen, and for a brief moment, it looked possible.
But he couldn't birdie again until the 8th, sandwiched by two bogeys which really dulled his momentum. The back nine followed a familiar script of steady play, half-chances that slipped by, and then, again, a birdie-birdie finish on 17 and 18.
The galleries several-deep followed him regardless of his position, packing fairways and greens to watch him in his element. It wasn't the winning week he hoped for, but what he delivered for the tournament and its 33,000-strong Sunday crowd can't be overstated. It's momentum the Australian Open badly needed.
"It's been absolutely amazing," the Masters champion and Grand Slam winner said post-round. "I mean, I've been excited to come back down here for a while. Obviously it's been over 10 years since I played in the Australian Open and I guess -- look the scenes out there this week. The crowds, the golf course were absolutely incredible.
"I said at the start of the week, this is a golf tournament that's got so much potential and I think it showed a little bit of that potential this week.
"I can't thank everyone in Australia up for the hospitality and the reception and can't wait to come back next year."
McIlroy wished he could have been in contention and "been coming down the stretch and battling with the boys" after what's been an amazing week. But as much of a spectacle he himself was at Royal Melbourne, the finale between Neergaard-Petersen and Smith was truly incredible.
"I feel for him," this year's champion from Denmark said in his media conference in regards to Smith, who missed his short putt to force a playoff. "The thing that's crazy, we've all been there. I was nowhere on 18, I had nothing from the right and somehow, some way I managed to get it up and down.
"He's a class act and it was great to be out there with him today."
Neergaard-Petersen, who now gets an invitation to the Masters, described his classy up-and-down on 18 "one in a hundred".
"I think about where I hit it, I could probably get it there, I don't know, 20% of the time," he said. "Then 40% of the time it's in the bunker, and 40% it's way further. And then from there you have a 30-footer, which you're probably only making 5%. So I don't know, maybe one in 60, 70, a hundred -- it's that sort of range. So again, I was actually quite surprised when I got up there, I thought it was just in the right trap, which again, it's not an easy shot, but it's certainly better than where I was.
"I'll be back next year to try and defend."
Catch up on how the final round unfolded below: