Rory McIlroy denied by banana peel during dramatic Round 3 moment at Australian Open

Rory McIlroy endured one of the most bizarre double-bogeys of his golf career on the par-4 2nd hole during the third round of the Crown Australian Open at Royal Melbourne on Saturday after his ball came to rest against a banana peel in a tea tree. 

McIlroy started the third round well off the pace at 2-under par following rounds of 72 and 68, and things unfortunately got a whole lot more challenging for him to mount a charge on the leaders after what unfolded down the 2nd. 

After a safe par down the par-4 1st, McIlroy sprayed his tee shot into a thick lump of grass down the par-4 2nd. 

As he trudged down the right flank to find his TaylorMade TP5, he could not believe his eyes when realising it had got wedged against a golf fan's banana peel. 

It's believed an unruly spectator had flung a banana skin into the rough moments before McIlroy had reached the hole. 

Saturday's third round was a welcome sell-out crowd at Royal Melbourne. 

Unfortunately there is no rule for banana peels under the rules of golf though, and had McIlroy elected to move it then his ball would have moved in the process and that would have resulted in a one-stroke penalty. 

Golfers are allowed to move loose impediments on the course as long as their ball does not move as a result of their actions. 

So the grand slam champion only had one play, and that was to thrash away at his golf ball and the banana skin. 

McIlroy stepped in and gave it his best shot, but he could only advance his ball some 10 yards in front of him. Scroll down to watch... 

The unfortunate break led to a double-bogey six, and it left him with even more ground to make up on the leaders. 

The incident came 24 hours after McIlroy whiffed a shot — another first as a Tour pro. 

Watch Rory McIlroy vs Banana Peel below: 

To McIlroy's credit, he immediately shrugged off the double-bogey six by making a birdie-three on the par-4 3rd. 

McIlroy then exchanged a bogey on the 7th with a birdie on the 9th to go out in 1-over.

But things dramatically improved for him on the way home as he closed with four birdies on the 12th, 14th, 17th and 18th to end the day in the red with a 3-under 68, the same score he posted on Friday. 

McIlroy now lies 5-under par for the tournament and inside the top 20 heading into Sunday's final round. 

He is largely playing catch up this weekend at Royal Melbourne after having opened with a 1-over 72 on Thursday.

This week marks his first appearance Down Under since 2014.

McIlroy won the Australian Open at Royal Sydney in 2013. 

The Australian Open marks McIlroy's final Tour event of a golden 2025 campaign that has seen him win four times around the world, highlighted by completing the career grand slam at The Masters in April.

McIlroy also recorded a fourth straight Race to Dubai title last month, which progressed him to seven and one away from all-time European Tour record holder Colin Montgomerie.

Keep track of live Australian Open scores here

Have you ever seen an incident like this with a banana peel on the golf course?

Share your thoughts in the comments section below - it's free to sign up for an account...