Golfer Rory McIlroy receives two-stroke penalty — BBC Sport

Golfer Rory McIlroy received a two-stroke penalty during the first round of the Abu Dhabi Championship at Yas Links. As BBC Sport reports, the violation was identified after the round had ended: it was determined that the athlete had improved the ball’s position.

Incident on the 12th hole

The incident occurred on the par-4 12th hole. Before a chip shot, McIlroy pressed down the grass behind the ball, which was lying in the rough, with his club. His score on the hole was changed from six to eight strokes — a quadruple bogey. These were his only strokes over par in the round.

Initially, the Northern Irish golfer had a score of 68 strokes, or four under par. After the penalty, he signed a scorecard of 70 strokes — two under par. McIlroy is eight strokes behind tournament leader Francesco Laporta.

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McIlroy’s reaction

McIlroy said that he had no intention of breaking the rules and was trying to assess the position of the ball, which was lying in the lower part of a sandy depression. According to him, after reviewing the video, the episode looked unfortunate, so he agreed to accept the penalty and continue in the tournament.

After the first round, McIlroy shares a position with Race to Dubai standings leader Eugenio Chacarra — both are two under par. American Patrick Reed, who is second in the standings and is one place ahead of McIlroy, started with a score of 74 strokes. McIlroy can equal the record by winning his eighth Race to Dubai title.