A dejected Cameron Smith fell simply in need of successful his coveted maiden Australian Open title as Denmark’s Rasmus Njergaard-Petersen endured an extended ups and downs on the ultimate gap at Royal Melbourne.
On Sunday, the pair have been tied at 15 underneath heading into the par-4 18th, however Smith seemed to be within the field when he hit the inexperienced along with his second shot.
Niergaard Petersen blocked his method to the lengthy tough between the bunkers to the proper.
However he conjured up a 15-foot miracle chip and nervously drained his par putt.
The Australian’s rival had no selection however to make bogey with a three-putt from lengthy vary, and the Dane received by one stroke.
Nirgaard Petersen had such a powerful debut season on the DP World Tour that he secured his 2026 PGA Tour card.
“It is robust. I am actually speechless. It has been a battle all day,” the 26-year-old stated.
“You realize, generally issues look calm from the surface, however right this moment there was a storm raging all day.
“However I managed to maintain combating and go up and down from there and was in a position to make the final putt.”
The third individual within the closing group, South Korean Kim Si-woo, made a closing bogey, however held on for third place with a rating of 13 underneath.
Smith, 32, completed the ultimate spherical with a 2-under 69, and his lengthy winless streak stretches again to LIV Golf Bedminster in August 2023.
Smith has received the Australian PGA Championship thrice, however has made no secret of the truth that outdoors of the majors, the Australian Open is his most coveted title.
Smith and Neergaard-Petersen had an in depth battle on Sunday’s again 9.
The Australian received for the primary time on the tenth gap, and the Dane tied the rating two holes later.
Neergaard-Petersen was inside one shot on the thirteenth, however Smith birdied the 14th to tie the rating once more.
Each gamers birdied the par-5 seventeenth, with Smith lacking his method shot huge to the proper earlier than hitting a clutch up and down.
The closest Smith got here to successful the Stonehaven Cup was in opposition to Royal Sydney in 2016, when the Queenslander misplaced within the play-offs to American Jordan Spieth.
South Africa’s Michelle Hollick shot a 6-under 65 within the low spherical of the day, shifting into fourth place at 12 underneath, one stroke behind Australia’s Adam Scott.
After beginning the ultimate spherical in rivalry for his second Stonehaven Cup victory, the 45-year-old Australian was utterly out of types on Sunday as he signed for a one-under 70.
Rory McIlroy, the draw card of the event, had a rollercoaster closing day, posting a 2-under 69 with 5 birdies and three bogeys to tie for 14th place at 7 underneath.
The Northern Irishman will return to the sand to compete within the 2026 Australian Open at close by Kingston Heath.
Additionally within the 7-under group was Australian crowd favourite Minwoo Lee, however he had a disappointing closing spherical of 3-over 74.
