Chacarra Defends McIlroy After Costly Equipment Failure.

Rory McIlroy rules incident: Race to Dubai leader Eugenio Chacarra defends Masters champion over Abu Dhabi penalty.

Chacarra’s own round started with a broken driver.

His club cracked during Wednesday’s Pro-Am at Yas Links in Abu Dhabi.

He had used that same driver since February.

The replacement had a noticeably higher loft.

It got into his head.

“I hit zero fairways on the front nine,” Chacarra told Sky Sports.

He still posted a 2-under 70.

That score kept him in control of the Race to Dubai standings.

But the real drama came from the group ahead of him.

McIlroy was playing in the same marquee group alongside Chacarra and Patrick Reed.

McIlroy’s round appeared to be a 4-under 68.

Then the rules committee reviewed television footage from the par-four 12th.

McIlroy had chipped from a divot.

The ball rolled back down the hill.

When he addressed his fourth shot, his wedge pressed some grass down behind the ball.

Officials ruled that he had improved the conditions of his stroke under Rule 8.1b(4).

The penalty was two strokes.

His double-bogey six became a quadruple-bogey eight.

His 68 became a 70.

Chacarra watched the whole thing from inside the ropes.

“In the video, it doesn’t look great,” Chacarra said.

“But we’ve been watching Rory for a long time — he’s a class man and never tries to improve his lies or do anything.”

Chacarra said the grass at Yas Links is “fluffy.”

“As soon as you put the weight of the club, the grass is going to come down.”

He added: “How is he supposed to hit that shot?”

Chacarra told McIlroy he was ready to fight the penalty on his behalf.

“I told him I was happy to fight for it, because I didn’t think he improved it.”

McIlroy accepted the ruling.

“Obviously there’s no intent — I play by the rules,” McIlroy said.

“I try to do everything that I can to never end up in these positions.”

The incident happened on the first day of the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship.

That tournament is the penultimate event of the DP World Tour season.

The Race to Dubai winner receives the Harry Vardon Trophy.

Chacarra entered the week as the leader.

He is trying to become just the third Spaniard to win the title.

McIlroy is chasing a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai crown.

Reed is also in contention.

The three played together in the first round.

Chacarra’s equipment failure added to the pressure.

He cracked his driver on the sixth hole of Wednesday’s Pro-Am.

“It was a big fight, you know,” Chacarra said.

“I turned on 1-over; I finished 2-under.”

“I’m happy that I fight it. I’m happy with the fight.”

“And I just need to go do some work on the range to find a driver for tomorrow.”

Chacarra said the backup driver did not match his gamer.

“Even though the backups, they say it’s the same, it definitely wasn’t the same,” he explained.

“I see a little more loft on the club. It started getting in my head.”

The wind picked up during his round.

The greens deteriorated compared with the morning wave.

“If you miss nine fairways, you’re going to make some bogeys,” he acknowledged.

Four birdies on the back nine rescued his score.

His only regret was the 17th, where he chased a birdie instead of two-putting from 30 feet.

Reed had a tough day.

His card showed a birdie, a bogey and a double on the last for a 74.

That left him tied for 56th.

McIlroy’s penalty meant all three Race to Dubai contenders finished the first round at 70 or worse.

Chacarra remained the leader in the season-long standings.

But the margin is tight with two events left.

The Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship runs through Sunday.

The season finale is the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

McIlroy has won four consecutive events coming into Abu Dhabi.

He is chasing a fifth straight victory.

Chacarra is trying to hold him off.

The equipment failure added an extra layer of difficulty.

Chacarra did not blame the club for his missed fairways.

He said the mental effect of the unfamiliar loft caused him to swing across the ball.

“I know a lot about that face, I know a lot about the driver,” he said.

The replacement was a backup he had not practiced with extensively.

That lack of trust showed on the front nine.

He recovered on the back nine by adjusting his aim and his swing thought.

The round took more than five hours.

“It was a long day,” Chacarra said.

He finished the day tied with McIlroy at 2-under.