Adrian Meronk overhauled Adam Scott to win his second DP World Tour title in five months with victory at the Australian Open.

Meronk trailed Scott by a shot going into the final round at Victoria Golf Course.

But the Pole, who won the Irish Open in July, was superb for the third successive round in Melbourne, his four-under 66 propelling him to triumph.

He made the turn three under for the round and on the back nine bogeys at 13 and 17 were sandwiched by a birdie at 15.

Meronk finished it in style with a stunning eagle putt from the edge of the green that saw him finish 14 under for the tournament.

Scott, who could only manage a level-par 72, was five shots back at nine under.

"To finish like that on the 18th hole, it's unreal," said Meronk. 

"[I] kept doing what I done last two days and just worked pretty well so I'm just super proud of me, proud of my team."

Greg Norman says he pays "zero attention" to Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy after they called for him to be ousted as LIV Golf CEO and commissioner.

Woods this week echoed McIlroy's sentiments that Norman "has to go" in order for the PGA Tour and breakaway series LIV Golf to hold constructive talks, with the two organisations having filed lawsuits against each other.

The legendary American stated: "There is an opportunity out there if both organisations put a stay on their litigation. That's the problem.

"There is no willingness to negotiate if you have litigation against you. I think Greg has to go first of all. It has to start with leadership on their side, understanding that what is happening right now is not the best future for the whole game of golf.

"You need to have the two bodies come together and if one side has so much animosity, trying to destroy our tour, then how do you work with that?"

World number one McIlroy said last month: "I think he [Norman] just needs to exit stage left. He's made his mark but I think now is the right time to sort of say, look, you've got this thing off the ground but no one is going to talk unless there's an adult in the room that can actually try to mend fences."

Yet Australian Norman is adamant he will be going nowhere.

"I pay zero attention to McIlroy and Woods, right?" he told Today's Golfer. "They have their agenda for whatever reason. They're saying whatever they want to say.

"It has no bearing or effect on me. I'm going to be with LIV for a long, long period of time."

Norman says he can heal the rifts and is doing a good job.

He said: "Of course it can happen under my leadership. I mean, Tiger might be a messenger, right? Who knows. All I know is we are going to keep doing what we're doing with LIV, and we are just going to keep moving forward."

Norman added: "No matter where I go in the world, nobody - not one person - has said what I'm doing is stupid or wrong."

Reigning champion Viktor Hovland carded a round-of-the-day eight-under-par 64 to pull three shots clear at the Hero World Challenge on Albany Golf Course in the Bahamas on Saturday.

The Norwegian, who was the joint leader after day one and outright leader by one shot at halfway, shot 10 birdies in his stunning third round to open up a three-shot gap on Scottie Scheffler.

Hovland could have been further ahead if not for a bogey on the par-four 18th hole, having managed six birdies in the previous seven holes to card 31 on his back nine. He also bogeyed on the sixth hole.

The reigning champion, who managed eagles in both of his first two days, fired in a dart over the water off the tee on the par-three 17th hole to set up a routine birdie putt.

Hovland leads from world number two Scheffler, who hit 66 on day three, to move up to 10-under overall.

Scheffler buried an eagle putt on the par-five 15th hole to move into solo second, having five birdies for his round, along with a bogey.

Justin Thomas is a further two shots behind Scheffler at eight-under overall, alongside Cameron Young who had been in the four-player pack one stroke behind Hovland at halfway.

Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele are tied at seven under, rounding out those in contention with a big gap to the next best, Jon Rahm who is four-under overall.

Cameron Smith revealed he was "a few too many beers deep" on Friday evening when he realised he would have to get up early for the third round of the Australian Open.

Smith thought he had missed the cut at Kingston Heath Golf Club on home soil after signing for a one-over second round of 73.

The Open champion made a trip to the pub for some post-round refreshments, thinking his participation in the DP World Tour event in Melbourne was over.

But with the competition cut to 60 players for Saturday and halved after the third round, the world number three discovered he did not have a full weekend off.

Smith returned to go round in 69 in what proved to be his third round.

The Brisbane native said: "I was pretty quick to the pub [after his round on Friday] and, yeah, was probably a few too many beers deep, and then I realised we had an early tee time, so I got back on the waters and was a good boy the rest of the night."

Smith, who won the PGA Championship last week, added: "I thought I had it in me today and hit lots of good golf shots, and just couldn't really capitalise. Just not my week."

Adam Scott holds a one-shot lead heading into the final round of the Australian Open in his homeland.

Viktor Hovland is alone atop the Hero World Challenge leaderboard after Friday's second round, following his opening 69 with a two-under 70 to enter the weekend at five under.

Hovland, who was the joint-leader entering the day, is the reigning champion at the event after edging Scottie Scheffler by one stroke at Albany Golf Course in the Bahamas last year.

In an action-packed second round, the Norwegian posted an eagle with four birdies and four bogeys, with his slam-dunk shot of the day on the par-five sixth hole making it back-to-back rounds with an eagle.

He is one stroke clear of a four-man group consisting of Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Cameron Young and Collin Morikawa, with playing partners Scheffler and Schauffele posting four-under 68s to tie for the round of the day.

South Korean 20-year-old Tom Kim is the only player in sixth at three under, Justin Thomas is alone at two-under, and Billy Horschel is tied with Tiger Woods' late replacement Sepp Straka for eighth at one under.

It leaves 11 of the 20-player field at least five strokes off Hovland's lead, with Matt Fitzpatrick, Tony Finau and Jon Rahm at even par.

It was a day to forget for Tommy Fleetwood, Corey Conners, Max Homa and Shane Lowry, with all four shooting their way out of contention with rounds of four over or worse.

Tiger Woods will not pursue surgery on the foot injury that saw him withdraw from this week's Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

The 15-time major champion was due to play his first competitive event since missing the cut at The Open back in July but has been suffering with plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

Woods had been scheduled to play three events in December, though it remains to be seen if he will play at all. 

The legendary American had been aiming to up his workload having played only three times last season due to the broken leg he sustained in a car accident in February 2021.

He explained that his latest issue will be treated with a "stretch and relax" method rather than going under the knife.

"You don’t want to go down the surgical route," Woods told the Golf Channel. "Injections, surgical, or just stretch and relax, and I chose to stretch and relax.

"Get off your feet, which I have done and continue to do. Also sleep at night with a boot on; try to stretch it out."

The injury, according to the PGA Tour's official website, affects around two million people in the United States and causes a stabbing pain near the heel as a result of an inflammation of a thick band of tissue.

Woods explained how playing full 18-hole rounds is tricky with the injury.

"When you first step out of bed, it's like, 'Oh my God'," he added.

"It's just a long haul. I just can't walk for too long a period of time."

Viktor Hovland is looking to win back-to-back Hero World Challenge titles and started his week on the right track, finishing Thursday's opening round in a four-way tie for the lead at three under.

The small field boasts 20 of the PGA Tour's top talents, with Tiger Woods hosting the event at Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas.

Winner of the 2021 edition, Hovland posted an impressive eagle on the par-four 14th hole to go with his two birdies and one bogey to share the lead through 18 holes.

Norway's top golfer is joined by 20-year-old South Korean phenom Tom Kim, America's Collin Morikawa, and Austria's Sepp Straka, with the latter coming in as the late replacement for Woods following his withdrawal due to plantar fasciitis.

Kim, who already has two PGA Tour wins under his belt, was the only of the foursome to not make a single bogey.

They are one stroke clear of Sam Burns alone in fifth at two under, with Cameron Young, Max Homa and Tommy Fleetwood tied for sixth at one under.

World number two Scottie Scheffler is joined by two-time major champion Justin Thomas as part of the group at even par, while Jon Rahm is at one over, and Matt Fitzpatrick is at two over.

Corey Conners is alone in 19th at three over, and Jordan Spieth is dead last and the only player at four over.

It's officially Tony Finau's world. The rest of us are just living in it.

The 33-year-old continued his winning ways last month at the Cadence Bank Houston Open, steam rolling the competition en-route to a four-shot victory. It was his third PGA Tour victory over his last 30 starts after the Utah native won just once in his first 185 tournaments.

"This is definitely the most all parts of my game have been clicking, but I would say I've played a lot of good golf for a while," Finau said afterward. "I didn't have a lot of wins to show for it, but I've pieced together a game and that's what you have to do out here.

"I feel like I've been a very solid player for a long time, but it's exciting for me that I'm getting better and that's all I can ask of myself is try and get better in the areas that I really need to.

"And then remember why you are where you are. I think I don't go too far away from the DNA of my game and how I see the game and I think I'm kind of bearing the fruits of how I see the game now and I'm able to hit the shots that I can see, which is pretty cool."

The DNA of Finau's game has been easy to identify – putting and driving. Simple enough, right?

At the Houston Open, Finau finished with a 75 percent driving accuracy for the week, the fourth time in his five TOUR wins he's accomplished that feat.

Amazingly, it was the worst percentage among all his recent victories – he finished with a 76.8 percent accuracy at this year's 3M Open, a 78.6 percent accuracy at the 2021 FedEx St. Jude Championship, and a career-best 82.1 percent accuracy at the Rocket Mortgage Classic earlier this summer.

"Probably the best driving week I've had in my career, at least that's how I felt,” Finau said. "For the first time in my career I hit all 13 fairways, 100 percent of fairways in regulation. I've never done that in my career, so definitely drove the ball.

Tiger Woods has hailed Rory McIlroy's leadership on the PGA Tour, after a busy year that saw the Northern Irishman impress on and off the course.

McIlroy has led the fight against the LIV Golf breakaway across 2022, while he has also returned to number one in the world rankings.

Woods echoed McIlroy's calls for LIV chief Greg Norman to step down earlier this week, in order to help heal golf's bitter civil war.

Now though, the 15-time major winner has expressed his wholehearted admiration for his fellow tour favourite, highlighting the respect he commands among his fellow players.

"What Rory has said and done are what leaders do," Woods said.

"Rory is a true leader out here on tour.

"The fact he's able to get things in the public eye, be so clear-minded and eloquent with it, [and then] go out there and win tournaments on top of that, people have no idea how hard that is, to be able to separate those two things.

"He's been fantastic. He's a great leader in our calls we make, and he's a great leader with all the players out here.

"Everyone respects him, and they respect him because not just his ball-striking, his driving, but the person he is."

Woods also assuaged McIlroy's earlier fears that he had given him COVID-19 on the eve of the Open Championship earlier this year, after the latter made the disclosure in an interview.

"I got tested," he added. "I was always negative. I was feeling under the weather, yes, but I never got a positive test."

Woods and McIlroy are set to partner each other in The Match later this month, with the former hoping to be fit after his withdrawal from the Hero World Challenge this week with a foot problem.

Tiger Woods has become the latest major figure on the PGA Tour to say LIV Golf's Greg Norman must leave to allow peace to break out as the sport's civil war persists.

The 15-time major winner has backed up world number one Rory McIlroy's comments for the Australian to stand down in order to help heal the divide.

Norman, the CEO and face of the Saudi-funded breakaway tour, has been a prominent figure amid a bitter split in golf, with several of the world's leading players defecting to the rival series and with lawsuits between both parties.

McIlroy already said the chance of a compromise between both tours was unlikely as long as Norman remained in place, and now Woods has echoed his words.

"I see that there's an opportunity out there if both organisations put a stay on their litigation, but that's the problem, they've got to put a stay on it," Woods stated ahead of the Hero World Challenge.

"Whether or not they do that or not, there's no willingness to negotiate if you have a litigation against you.

"So if they both have a stay and then have a break, and then they can meet and figure something out, then maybe there is something to be had.

"But I think Greg has to go, first of all, and then obviously litigation against us and then our counter-suit against them, those would then have to be at a stay as well. Then we can talk, we can all talk freely."

Woods was set to play in the Hero World Challenge this week, but he withdrew after developing a foot problem.

He is still set to partner McIlroy at The Match later this month and then play with son Charlie at the PNC Championship.

Tiger Woods' return to competitive golf has been delayed after he announced on Monday that he has withdrawn from this week's Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

Woods, 46, is also the host of the highly anticipated event, which features a small field consisting of 20 elite players, including world number two Scottie Scheffler, as well as major champions Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.

Arguably the greatest golfer of all time, Woods was scheduled to take part in three events in December, but the announcement of his foot injury on social media has put all three in jeopardy.

His statement says: "In my preparation and practice for this week's Hero World Challenge, I've developed plantar fasciitis in my right foot, which is making it difficult to walk.

"After consulting with my doctors and trainers, I have decided to withdraw this week and focus on my hosting duties.

"My plan is to still compete in The Match and PNC Championship."

Woods, who has not played competitively since failing to make the cut at The Masters in July, will not have long to recover.

He is scheduled to partner up with Rory McIlroy to take on the pair of Thomas and Spieth on December 10 for The Match, and just five days later he hopes to team up with his son, Charlie, in the PNC Championship.

With his withdrawal from the Hero World Challenge, Austria's Sepp Straka will take his place.

Rory McIlroy thinks he may have given Tiger Woods COVID-19 on the eve of the Open Championship after the pair played at a charity event beforehand.

The Northern Irishman, who claimed a third FedEx Cup this year, has forged a close bond over the years with the American, one strengthened by their shared views on the LIV Golf breakaway this season.

While several of their rivals warmed up at the Scottish Open for this year's Open, McIlroy and Woods played at a fundraising event hosted by JP McManus at Adare Manor.

Now, four-time major winner McIlroy has revealed he played at St Andrews while battling COVID-19 – and that he fears he gave it to Woods after the two dined together.

"I woke up feeling a bit achy but didn't really think anything of it," he told the Irish Independent. "[But] as I'm getting up from the table, I'm sore and stiff and super tired.

"I slept for maybe two hours, and the sweat was just pouring off me. Erica [McIlory's wife] took my temperature, and it was sky-high.

"[Tiger] texted me that night with chills and fever. I'm like 'f****** hell, I've just given Tiger COVID. This is horrendous!'. So we both had COVID going into the Open.

"The whole week of the Open, I didn't have any taste, and everything [was] like vinegar to me. Everything. It was really strange."

Woods went on to miss the cut at the Open, while McIlroy was edged out by Cameron Smith on the final day at St Andrews.

McIlroy did end the season on a high, topping the DP World Tour rankings and returning to number one in the world.

Dan Bradbury sealed a first DP World Tour victory in just his third professional start as he won the Joburg Open on Sunday.

The 23-year-old Englishman only recently joined the paid ranks and was participating after a sponsor's invitation, but he won by three shots on 21 under par to not only secure the trophy, but also a place at the Open Championship next year.

Bradbury went into the final round with a one-stroke lead but never showed any sign of letting up on Sunday at Houghton Golf Club, shooting a round of 67 with five birdies and just one bogey, coming on the final hole.

Finland's Sami Valimaki claimed second place on 18 under, one shot ahead of South Africans Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Daniel van Tonder, who tied for third.

Bradbury said after his win: "It won't sink in for a few days, I don't think. It's just a lot of pressure taken off your back, that's nice, but it hasn't sunk in yet and I don't think it will for a while."

He felt pressure from Valimaki on the back nine yet kept his focus, securing a two-year tour exemption as well as his Open ticket.

"But it was kind of the same thing all week, just keep playing my own game and I knew I was playing good enough," Bradbury said. "It turned out that way in the end."

By taking the top three spots, Bradbury, Valimaki and Bezuidenhout all qualified for the 151st Open at Royal Liverpool in July 2023, with Bezuidenhout claiming the final place ahead of Van Tonder thanks to his higher position in the world rankings.

Cameron Smith thought a third Australian PGA Championship would be beyond him after posting a final round of 68 to seal victory at the Royal Queensland Golf Club.

The home favourite, a two-time winner before in 2017 and 2018, finished 14 under par, with a three-shot lead over fellow Australian Jason Scrivener and Japan's Ryo Hisatsune.

Amid a closing day interrupted by lightning strikes across the course, Smith recovered from a slow start to post three birdies over the final seven holes and claim the trophy.

Though seldom off the pace across the weekend, the defending Open Championship winner says he was not sure if he would be in the conversation for victory before he teed off.

"I really didn't think I had it in me at the start of the week," he stated. "I was a bit scratchy [but] the game has got better and better as the week went on, other than the front nine today."

On the weather, he added: "You are in the mojo a little and for it to be stopped not once but twice was a little frustrating. But I just held on and played really solid those last eight holes."

Hisatsune was best in show on the final day with an impressive 65, a feat matched only by Australian Geoff Ogilvy and Englishman John Parry.

The latter's performance was enough to seal a joint-fourth-place finish overall, tied with Min Woo Lee on nine under par.

Adam Svensson played the weekend of his life to claim his maiden PGA Tour victory, fighting back from a one-over opening round to win the RSM Classic with a score of 19 under.

Canadian Svensson the competition on the Plantation Course at Sea Island Resort and struggled, but he found much more success on the Seaside Course following his opening round.

After posting a 64 on Friday, he followed that with the best round on Saturday, two strokes better than anybody else with his eight-under 62.

He continued that momentum on Sunday, going bogey-free with six birdies to equal the day's top round again, including back-to-back birdies on the 16th and 17th holes to turn a four-way tie atop the leaderboard into a two-stroke lead.

Svensson, 28, had not secured a top-10 finish on the PGA Tour until last season, collecting three, and with a par on the 18th hole he secured the first win of his career in his 70th start.

Speaking to the media after stepping off the final green, he was emotional as he reflected on his journey to this point.

"To be honest, it's not even real right now," he said. "I'm just so happy, I put so much work in. To win on the PGA Tour – it means everything to me.

"It's been an up-and-down journey, I've had lows, I've had highs, but I kept believing in myself, and here I am."

In a three-way tie for second was England's Callum Tarren, along with American duo Sahith Theegala and Brian Harman.

Recent winner of the Bermuda Championship, Seamus Power, was two further back at 15 under in a tie for fifth, and he was joined by a group that included 23-year-old Cole Hammer, who rode the opening-round lead to the best finish of his career.