Overview
- The 26-year-old Dane finished at 15 under at Royal Melbourne to beat Cameron Smith by one, with Si Woo Kim third at 13 under.
- Tied on the 72nd tee, Neergaard-Petersen chipped close from heavy rough and holed a 10-foot par putt as Smith three‑putted from about five feet for bogey.
- The victory earns Neergaard-Petersen a Masters invitation, while Adam Scott, Si Woo Kim and Michael Hollick claimed 2026 Open Championship spots as the top non‑exempt finishers.
- Players, including Rory McIlroy and Richard Mansell, criticized the week’s schedule after the Australian Open overlapped with the Nedbank Golf Challenge and Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge despite strong crowds in Melbourne.
- Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan won the Nedbank Golf Challenge wire to wire to book his first Masters start, and Hideki Matsuyama beat Alex Noren in a playoff to win the Hero World Challenge.