Banana peel derails McIlroy challenge at Aussie Open

Rory Mcllroy survived a bizarre encounter with a banana peel lodged in a tree to shoot a 3-under 68 on Saturday at the Australian Open.

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His round left him nine strokes behind leader Danish player Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who made birdie putts on the 17th and 18th for a 66 and a 54-hole total of 14-under 199.

Cam Smith, the 2022 British Open champion who ended his streak of missing seven consecutive cuts this year on Friday, also shot 66 Saturday and was tied for second, two strokes off the lead.

On the par-4 second hole, Mcllroy missed the fairway and his ball ended up under a small tree and under a banana peel which had apparently been thrown away by a spectator.

Golfers are allowed to move loose impediments as long as the player's ball doesn't move in the process. If the ball had shifted as a result of trying to move a loose item, the player incurs a penalty.