Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Rory McIlroy has been handed a two-shot penalty after finishing his first round at the Abu Dhabi Championship, with officials ruling he improved his lie on a hole where he shot double-bogey to spoil his card.
McIlroy’s score of six at the par-four 12th turned into an even uglier eight and left him posting a two-under 70 to be eight shots off the lead, held by Francesco Laporta after his bogey-free round of 62.
In actions that have dented his bid to win a record-tying eighth season-long Race to Dubai title, McIlroy was seen pressing his club on grass behind his ball that had rolled back down the hill and into a divot after he duffed an attempted chip onto the green on No. 12.
“There’s no intent. I play by the rules,” said the world No. 2, who spent time in the scorer’s hut after his round discussing the incident with officials. “I try to do everything that I can to never end up in these positions.”
McIlroy acknowledged video footage of the incident “doesn’t look very good.”
“I’m just trying to get a feel for the lie,” he said. “The ball is in a sort of bottom of a sandy divot.
“I guess the technical term for the rule is if you press down on the piece (of grass). I don’t feel like I pressed down. But at the same time, I don’t want the perception of people thinking I got away with something. So I’m happy to take a two-shot penalty and move on.”
Rory McIlroy had initially fared the best of the three Race to Dubai contenders in Thursday’s low-scoring first round. The penalty drew him level with standings leader Eugenio Chacarra on 70, while second-placed Patrick Reed shot 74.
All were far behind Francesco Laporta.
The two-week post-season playoffs on golf’s European tour began with the 224th-ranked Laporta shooting 10-under 62 to take a three-stroke lead over three players ? including fellow Spaniard Jon Rahm ? at Yas Links on Thursday.
“Everything was just going like a video game,” said Laporta, who missed a six-foot birdie putt at No. 18 for a 61 that would have tied the course record.
Rahm, one of the many players who are leaving financially stricken LIV Golf, hadn’t competed for seven weeks and was playing Yas Links for the first time.
It didn’t show.
He was bogey free, making seven birdies thanks mainly to strong iron play and a dose of luck.
“A few bad swings that I got away with,” Rahm said. “But overall, yeah, I shot really nice today.”
The two-time major winner was tied with Bernd Wiesberger and Sam Bairstow in second place on seven-under.
Adam Scott, the only Australian in the field, shot a four-under 68 to be in a tie for 13th.
