Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen saved his best until last as he fought off the challenge of Major Champion Cam Smith to claim his maiden DP World Tour title at the 2026 Crown Australian Open.
The Dane began the day with a two-shot lead but was tied with home favourite Smith as the pair made their way down the 18th.
After missing the green, the 26-year-old faced an uphill battle to save par but he rose to the challenge, getting up and down courtesy of a nerveless ten-foot putt to pile the pressure on Smith’s par putt.
And with Smith unable to find the cup, Neergaard-Petersen celebrated a one-shot victory, finishing the week on 15 under par after signing for a closing 70 which contained four birdies and three bogeys.
Smith was alone in second on 14 under, one ahead of South Korea’s Si Woo Kim in third.
Neergaard-Petersen is no stranger to the winner’s circle, having tasted victory three times on the HotelPlanner Tour in 2024 on the way to topping the Road to Mallorca Rankings.
But despite enjoying a remarkable 2025 season on the DP World Tour to earn dual membership with the PGA TOUR, he was not able to win.
He entered the final round with a two-shot advantage but saw his lead evaporate in the early stages as he bogeyed the fourth.
Neergaard-Petersen regained the outright lead with a tap-in birdie at the sixth but surrendered two more bogeys on the ninth and tenth to sit two strokes behind Smith at the start of the back nine.
A long-range birdie at the tough 12th led to a two-shot swing as Neergaard-Petersen grabbed a share of the lead once more before birdieing the 13th from close range to hit the front on his own.
After his tee-shot at the 14th landed under the trees on the right side, Neergaard-Petersen did well to save par but was caught at the top as Smith made birdie on the same hole.
With both Neergaard-Petersen and Smith finding birdies at the 17th, there was nothing to separate the pair with one hole remaining, however Neergaard-Petersen produced a big finish when it mattered to win and earn his spot at next year’s Masters Tournament.
“I’m really at a loss for words,” Neergaard-Petersen said. “It’s been a battle all day. From the outside, sometimes you can look calm but there was a storm inside all day today.
“But I managed to just keep battling and then to get it up and down from there to make that putt on the last – I don’t really know what to say, to be honest.
“It’s one of those things I feel like I’ve done the other couple of days – I’ve been able to finish well.
“So I always had that belief that if I just keep trying to hit my spots, eventually the putts were going to drop and I was going to be able to get some of those shots back.
“Obviously, the birdie on the 12th was huge, getting back into a tie for the lead there.”
Just over 12 months after graduating from the HotelPlanner Tour, earning an invitation to tee it up in his first Masters is the icing on the cake.
“It means the world. The Masters is the event I’ve grown up watching so many times, just dreaming of playing it,” he admitted.
“Getting to do that is awesome. It’s gone by so fast. I don’t feel like it’s been two and a half years since I’ve been out of college. I haven’t even been a pro for that long.
“To get the win here at my final event of the year was the only thing missing from a perfect year. I’m so happy.”
Kim, Michael Hollick and home favourite Adam Scott all qualified for The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale through the Crown Australian Open.
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