Australia’s painstaking golf drought could end on Sunday. These are the top contenders to do it

No one wants to jinx it, but one of Australia’s superstar male golfers could break a painstaking national drought on Sunday.

With one round to play in the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne, Cameron Smith, Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott are all in the mix to win the trophy, while Lucas Herbert is a longer shot but cannot be counted out.

Not since Smith and Herbert’s Ripper GC teammate Matt Jones held off major champion Louis Oosthuizen by one shot at The Australian in Sydney in 2019 has a local lifted the Stonehaven Cup.

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This year the tournament has a different energy to it, however.

Since Jones’ second national crowd, this week is the first time the event has been played in the traditional format of a stand-alone male-only tournament.

That change was one of the key factors in bringing Rory McIlroy back to these shores, and the Masters champion has brought swarms of people with him.

More than 30,000 fans lined the fairways and surrounded the tees and greens on Saturday after almost 25,000 did the same on Friday.

It has been a stunning three day celebration of Australian golf, and it feels like those who have showed up to express their passion for the sport deserve one of their own to celebrate on Sunday evening.

Smith is the best-placed of the local hopes.

Only two shots behind leader Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Smith will come face-to-face with the Dane and Korea’s Si Woo Kim, who is sharing second place with the Australian and Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz, at -12 in the final group.

It is no-brainer who the crowds will be cheering for.

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It would also be an amazing twist of fate if Smith were to win in the first year the event reverted to its traditional format.

The 2022 Open champion was the mixed gender event’s most vocal critic, and has reiterated all week that the big crowds and a world class golf course is exactly how the Australian Open should be.

A Smith victory would also mark an incredible turnaround after the worst year of his professional career.

Before this week, he had missed the cut in seven straight world ranking events.

He failed to make the weekend at all four majors this year.

Those failures have sparked a yearning for a maiden Australian Open title that has not burned as bright in recent years.

“25 out of 10,” was what Smith told reporters at Royal Melbourne on Saturday when asked to rate his motivation levels.

“Yeah, just feel like it’s been a bit of a crappy year.”

Australia’s Cameron Smith acknowledges the applause after a birdie on the 17th hole during the third round of the Australian Open golf tournament at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne on December 6, 2025. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)Source: AFP

He also said that success on Sunday “would shut a few people up” after he has endured much criticism for his decline in results in majors since joining LIV Golf three years ago.

But on the course, the Queenslander is keeping a level head.

“Yeah, I think you just got to play the golf course,” Smith said.

“I know that sounds very cliche, but there are some golf courses where you can just get out there and hit it at the pin all day and go out there and try and shoot eight or nine under. It’s just not this place.

“So just play the right shots and hopefully get yourself in a position to win the last two holes.”

It was put to him by a reporter that after the Brisbane Lions claimed back-to-back AFL premierships, his beloved Brisbane Broncos triumphed in the NRL and the Maroons won rugby league’s State of Origin that ‘Queensland’s won everything this year, why not the Australian Open golf?’

“I agree,” Smith replied.

Australia’s Cameron Smith (R) and caddie Sam Pinfold react after sinking a birdie putt during the third round of the Australian Open golf tournament at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne on December 6, 2025. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)Source: AFP

A second Scott Australian Open crown would also be a victory for Queensland.

The veteran would need to deliver a special final round as he sits alongside countryman Lee and New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier at -10, five shots off the lead.

But Scott has always been someone to see the bigger picture.

The former world No.1 can sense the magnitude of the occasion, and if the trophy is out his reach, will be barracking hard for one of his compatriots to top off a week that has showcased Australian golf to the rest of the world in a glowing light.

“I think it’d be huge for whoever it is,” Scott said.

“No matter what though, it’s been an incredible, I mean I think it’s the talk of the golfing world this week.

“It’s got to have looked so good. Friday on TV must have been insane, today as well.

“And for anyone, any Australian winning, like I said at the presser earlier in the week, winning the Aussie Open at Royal Melbourne’s the pinnacle of Aussie golf, so whoever does do that, if it’s an Aussie, it’s a fair feather in the cap.”

Australia’s Adam Scott acknowledges the applause after sinking a birdie putt during the third round of the Australian Open golf tournament at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne on December 6, 2025. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)Source: AFP

Lee is daring to dream of being that Australian to reach the “pinnacle”, according to Scott.

The 27-year-old is riding a huge wave of momentum with him into the final round having strung together four consecutive birdies from holes 12 to 15 on Saturday, and would no doubt be an incredibly popular champion.

“I mean, anything can happen tomorrow,” Lee said. “Raz is playing, obviously great golf, he finished well there, so that hurts a little bit on the leaderboard, but I mean that’s what good players do and if I want to be a better player, I got to make some birdies tomorrow.”

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 06: Min Woo Lee of Australia reacts after birdie on the 13th green on day three of the Crown Australian Open 2025 at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club on December 06, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Jonathan DiMaggio/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

Herbert is not to be discounted either.

The LIV Golf star is -8, six shots off the lead, but was raised on the Melbourne Sandbelt and has the game to go low when it is needed most.

He also still feels the sting of last year’s final round at Kingston Heath, when he started the day in a share of the lead and fell to a share of fifth as American Ryggs Johnston claimed victory.

Herbert is fed up with seeing international party poopers, and wants himself or one of his fellow Australians to feed off the energy provided by the fired up local crowd.

“All of us care too much that we keep letting these guys come in who are internationals who didn’t grow up wanting to win the Aussie Open,” Herbert said.

“Playing in the last group last year with Ryggs (Johnston), I wouldn’t have said it was easy for him, but it looked like it was easier for him than it was for me.

“So especially growing up around these areas, you can feel like the weight of the world’s on your shoulders a little bit.

“Everyone, whether it’s Bendigo or Commonwealth where I grew up playing my golf, everyone here wants to see you win it.

“So it’s a nice privilege to have to deal with that tonight.”

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 05: Lucas Herbert of Australia walks on the seventh hole on day two of the Crown Australian Open 2025 at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club on December 05, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Josh Chadwick/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

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