Tight race in Melbourne: Neergard-Petersen holds the lead, with McIlroy and Wiesberger tied at T24 heading into the final round.
The third round of the Crown Australian Open on the DP World Tour in the greater Melbourne area saw Denmark’s Rasmus Neergard-Petersen maintain his lead. Following up his 66 from the previous day, Neergard-Petersen carded another five-under-par round. Despite a few mistakes on both the front and back nines, his seven birdies and two bogeys kept him atop the leaderboard at 14-under-par. Three players trail closely behind at 12-under-par, keeping the pressure on heading into the final day.
South Korea’s Si Woo Kim impressed with a 65 (-6) in the third round, though a bogey on the front nine prevented him from closing the gap further on the leader. Australia’s Cam Smith and Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz also shot 66s to join Kim in a tie for second. Smith posted five birdies and an eagle but was set back by bogeys on holes 6 and 18. Ortiz played a bogey-free round, highlighted by an eagle on the front nine and three birdies on the back nine to secure his share of second place.
Wiesberger and McIlroy tied at T24
Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger and World No. 2 Rory McIlroy are currently tied for 24th. Wiesberger shot a 70 (-1) on Saturday, recovering from two early bogeys on the front nine with four birdies on the back nine, though he added another bogey late in the round. McIlroy matched Wiesberger at five-under-par overall after repeating his 68 from the previous day. While he was flawless on the back nine with four birdies, his front nine included a bogey, a birdie, and a costly double bogey on the second hole.
Mixed results for DACH players
Other DACH-region players had mixed fortunes. Joel Girrbach shot an even-par 71 to sit at T53, while Yannik Paul struggled with a 77 (+6), including a triple bogey on hole 4 and three more bogeys on the back nine, dropping him to T71. Both will need strong final rounds to improve their standings.