Rory McIlroy hit with two-shot penalty after video shows lie improvement

Rory McIlroy was assessed a two-shot penalty after his first round at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship on Thursday, with officials ruling he improved his lie on the par-4 12th hole.

The penalty turned his double-bogey 6 into a quadruple-bogey 8, dropping his opening score from 4-under 68 to 2-under 70.

McIlroy now sits eight shots behind leader Francesco Laporta, who posted a bogey-free 62.

The incident unfolded on the 12th hole at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

After finding the fairway off the tee with 113 yards to the flag, McIlroy airmailed the green with a flip wedge.

His ball nestled in the rough beyond the green.

From there, he left his chip shot short of the putting surface and watched the ball roll back to his feet — into the divot he had just made.

During his pre-shot routine for his fourth shot, McIlroy placed his wedge behind the ball.

A close-up video from the broadcast showed a tuft of grass not returning to its original position behind the ball.

McIlroy pressed down on the grass, according to the footage reviewed by rules officials.

After the round, McIlroy spent time in the scorer's hut discussing the incident with DP World Tour officials.

He then addressed the media.

"Obviously there's no intent," McIlroy said, according to Golf Channel.

"I play by the rules. I feel like this is never really — I try to do everything that I can to never end up in these positions."

"But just by looking at the video, like it doesn't look — it doesn't look very good," he said.

"Obviously, that wasn't my intent."

McIlroy explained his thinking on the lie.

"The ball is in a sort of bottom of a sandy divot," he said.

"I'm trying to feel like if I can get a 54-degree, like, onto the back of the ball, but in the process, this piece of grass has sort of laid down."

He referenced the specific rule involved.

"I guess the technical term for the rule is if you press down on the piece," McIlroy said.

"I don't feel like I pressed down. But at the same time, I don't want the perception of, like, people thinking like I got away with something, either. So I'm happy to take a two-shot penalty and move on and move into tomorrow."

The DP World Tour released an official statement on the ruling.

The statement pointed to Rule 8.1b(4), which "permits a player to ground their club lightly right in front of or behind the ball."

"However, a player is not allowed to press the club on the ground," the statement said.

"Having reviewed the footage, McIlroy was unable to say whether he had pressed the club on the ground or not," the statement continued.

"However, given his concern over perception of the footage, he was not comfortable proceeding without penalty. He therefore chose to apply a two-stroke penalty."

McIlroy's playing partner, Eugenio Chacarra, defended him after the round.

Chacarra said he didn't think McIlroy deserved to be penalized.

Chacarra called McIlroy "a class man" who "never tries to improve his lies or do anything."

But Chacarra also acknowledged that the video "doesn't look great."

Chacarra predicted the incident would "fire [McIlroy] up" and that he would "probably shoot the lowest round of the day tomorrow."

The penalty came at a critical moment in the season.

McIlroy is competing for a record-tying eighth season-long Race to Dubai title.

The two-week postseason playoffs on the DP World Tour began with this event.

McIlroy initially fared the best of the three Race to Dubai contenders in the first round.

Now he is tied with Chacarra on 70, while Patrick Reed shot 74.

All are far behind Laporta.

McIlroy emphasized that he was not intentionally seeking to improve his lie.

"I'm just trying to get a feel for the lie," he said.

He repeated that he was "happy" to accept the penalty and move forward.

"I try to do everything that I can to never end up in these positions," McIlroy said.

The six-time major champion has a reputation for playing by the rules.

His acceptance of the penalty without protest drew some respect from observers.

But the video evidence made the ruling straightforward for officials.

Rule 8.1b(4) is clear: a player may ground the club lightly but may not press down on the ground.

The distinction between grounding and pressing is often a matter of degree.

In this case, the camera showed grass displaced behind the ball.

McIlroy himself acknowledged the visual problem.

"It doesn't look very good," he said.

He said he didn't want anyone to think he "got away with something."

That concern drove his decision to accept the penalty rather than contest it.

The incident overshadowed what was otherwise a solid round.

McIlroy's only other blemish was the double bogey that became a quadruple bogey.

He said he thought he played pretty well aside from that hole.

The 12th hole proved costly in more ways than one.

Beyond the penalty, the sequence included a duffed chip and a ball rolling back into its own divot.

It was a chain of bad luck followed by a rules violation.