Bernd Wiesberger stays in the mix at the DP World Tour’s Crown Australian Open. McIlroy survives the cut, Paul advances.
At the Crown Australian Open on the DP World Tour, Bernd Wiesberger carded a 68 to remain in the upper half of the leaderboard heading into the weekend. Rory McIlroy narrowly made the cut after a tense round but rallied late to finish with a 68 and sits T28. Yannik Paul bounced back from a disappointing opening round with a 67 to move up to T38 and secure his spot for the weekend. Freddy Schott, however, missed the cut despite a solid 69, as his 77 on Thursday proved too costly. Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and Daniel Rodrigues share the lead at nine under par going into the final two rounds.
DP World Tour: Wiesberger Shows Grit to Break into Top 20
Bernd Wiesberger demonstrated resilience on Friday at Royal Melbourne Golf Course, finishing strong to move into the top 20. He started well with birdies on holes 2 and 3, continuing his momentum from Thursday’s back nine. A bogey on 7 and missed birdie chances limited his front nine score. On the back nine, he played even par through four holes before birdieing the 14th. A bogey on 16 set him back, but he closed with birdies on 17 and 18 to finish T18.
Yannik Paul secured a weekend spot with a 4-under 67 after a rough opening round of 74. The 31-year-old German shined on the front nine, starting with a birdie on hole 3 and then stringing together three consecutive birdies on 7, 8, and 9. On the back nine, he added birdies on 14 and 17, offset by bogeys on 13 and 16, to finish strong on the par-71 course.
Freddy Schott couldn’t recover from his opening 77. Despite a solid 69 on Friday, his 6-over total left him well outside the cut line. However, a 4-under back nine gave the 24-year-old confidence heading into future events.
Neergaard-Petersen and Rodrigues Share the Lead
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and Daniel Rodrigues head into the weekend tied for the lead. Rodrigues fired the round of the day with a 64, collecting eight birdies and just one bogey on hole 6. Neergaard-Petersen had fewer birdies but matched his Thursday eagle on hole 14 to reach the top of the leaderboard.
Rory McIlroy nearly missed the cut in a surprising twist. Starting the day at one over par, the Northern Irishman struggled early and was below the cut line through 15 holes. A bogey on the par-5 14th added pressure, but McIlroy responded with birdies on 15, 17, and 18 to finish at 2-under and T28, securing his weekend spot.