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Rory McIlroy Incurs Banana Peel Conundrum After Wayward Drive at Australian Open

The five-time major champion encountered another oddity this year with his drive settling next to a banana skin in Round 3 at Royal Melbourne.

Max Schreiber

Rory McIlroy hit a shot that settled next to a banana peel in Round 3 of the Australian Open.
Rory McIlroy hit a shot that settled next to a banana peel in Round 3 of the Australian Open. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

That’s likely a career first for Rory McIlroy. 

On the par-4 second hole in Round 3 of the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne, Rory McIlroy hit a wayward drive that nestled into the rough next to a bizarre obstacle: a banana peel. 

“It was sort of a double whammy—it was in the tough grass, and under a banana skin,” McIlroy said. “But I shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”

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Under the rules, players can move loose impediments, but if the ball shifts in the process, they’ll receive a one-stroke penalty.

So McIlroy hit his shot through the discarded banana peel, and the ball advanced roughly 30 feet en route to a double bogey. 

However, that wasn’t the only unusual moment of McIlroy’s year, which included completing his career Grand Slam at the Masters. Just a day before his banana conundrum, he whiffed a shot on the par-5 14th under the trees, calling it “not one of my finer moments.” 

Also, in Round 3 of the British Open, McIlroy, after slicing a drive into the rough, hit an approach shot and a second, hidden ball popped out of the ground immediately after his swing. 

“That is the most weird, ridiculous thing I've ever seen,” McIlroy said afterward. 

With another oddity occurring on Saturday in Australia, McIlroy shot a 3-under 68, leaving him nine strokes behind leader Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen. 

“I am probably going to be too far behind to challenge tomorrow,” McIlroy said.

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Max Schreiber
MAX SCHREIBER

Max Schreiber is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, covering golf. Before joining SI in October 2024, the Mahwah, N.J., native, worked as an associate editor for the Golf Channel and wrote for RyderCup.com and FanSided. He is a multiplatform producer for Newsday and has a bachelor's in communications and journalism from Quinnipiac University. In his free time, you can find him doing anything regarding the Yankees, Giants, Knicks and Islanders.

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