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How a 2% shot saw Neergaard-Petersen win Aus Open crown
Nicholas Quinlan • December 8th, 2025 7:00 pm
SEN Golf expert Ryan Lynch has given a breakdown of how Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen managed to win the 2025 Australian Open.
For the first time since 1991, the tournament would return to the famous Royal Melbourne Golf Course, with the Dane winning his first DP World Tour event and the Stonehaven Cup with an amazing putt on the 18th hole to par, while Australian Cameron Smith hit a bogey.
Speaking on SEN Breakfast, the former golf pro would give an in-depth explanation of what went down on the 18th, noting that Smith had done well to keep it alive after the 17th hole.
“Incredible up and down on (the) 17(th) hole, first of all, it must be said,” Lynch said.
“He holds the clutch putt off 17 to draw level after Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen played that hole to perfection.
“But Rasmus hit where you just cannot hit it for his second shot (on the 18th). With that back right pin, he’s hit on Dunks Island out there on the right, not even in the bunker.
“You’re 100-to-1 to get a good line over there, and he got a reasonable line. I think he said in his press conference that he was about a two per cent chance of hitting the shot that he did. 40% of the time, he hits it in the bunker, 40% of the time, he’s over where Cam is anyway.
“So once Rasmus had hit his ball there, Cam had no option but to just skew a little bit safer to be a little bit further away from that right pin, and it just left him with a devilish first putt which he wasn’t able to get close enough to sink the second, unfortunately.”
Neergaard-Petersen’s putt to win would cap off an incredible week at the course, which saw over 100,000 fans go through the turnstile, helping create a “memorable” tournament.
“Absolutely, the Royal Melbourne shone like the gem it is,” he added.
“It’s really not that hard to get some of the world’s best players to come play one of the world’s best golf courses, and that’s what you get.
“It was a stunning week and an incredible finish for a very memorable Australian Open.”
The 109th edition of the prestigious golf tournament will stay in Victoria for a third straight year, with the Kingston Heath Golf Club set to have hosting rights for the second time in three years.
