Story byBBCSat, December 6, 2025 at 11:59 AM UTC·2 min readAustralian Open - third-round leaderboard-14 R Neergaard-Petersen (Den); -12 SW Woo (Kor), C Ortiz (Mex), C Smith (Aus); -11 J Ballester (Spa); -10 D Hillier (Aus), MW Lee (Aus), A Scott (Aus); -9 W Ding (Chi); -8 L Herbert (Aus), C Surratt (USA)AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSelected others: -5 McIlroy (NI); -4 C Adam (Sco), R Bello-Cabrera (Spa), G. S Rodriguez (Spa), J Senior (Eng), D Young (Sco); 0 C Davis (Aus)Rory McIlroy is nine shots behind leader Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen ahead of the final day of the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne. The Masters champion, who won this tournament in 2013, finished the third round on 68 and now sits joint 24th and five-under par. McIlroy was hoping to build on a strong finish to the second round when he made three birdies in his last four holes. However, a bizarre double-bogey on the second hole hindered his start after the world number two was unable to move a banana skin, which his ball landed beside from his tee shot. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe 36-year-old then added two birdies, four pars and a bogey on the front nine. From the 10th hole, Northern Ireland's McIlroy registered four birdies, but so did leader Neergaard-Petersen, who carded a 66 to move 14-under and two shots clear. Australia's Cameron Smith also shot 66 in the third round and sits in joint second with Kim Si-woo and Carlos Ortiz on 12-under."It was sort of a double whammy - it was in the tough grass and under a banana skin, but I shouldn't have been there in the first place" McIlroy said when asked about the second hole."I didn't get off to a great start, but I played well from there. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"I am probably going to be too far behind to challenge tomorrow."Elsewhere, Scotland's Cameron Adam, appearing at just his second tournament as a professional, is four-under par in joint 29th with fellow Scot David Young in the same position.