Rory McIlroy picks up a costly two-stroke penalty for improving his lie in round one of the Abu Dhabi Championship.
Rory McIlroy's opening round at the Abu Dhabi Championship has taken an unwelcome turn. The Northern Irishman has been hit with a two-shot penalty after officials ruled he improved his lie during the first round.
Under the Rules of Golf, players must play the ball as it lies unless a specific rule says otherwise. Changing the conditions around the ball to gain an advantage, such as altering the lie, breaches that principle. The standard punishment is two strokes, which is what McIlroy has received.
Two shots can be a heavy price on the Tour, where a single stroke often decides who makes the weekend and who contends for the title. For a player of McIlroy's standing, a former world No. 1 and a major champion, the penalty means extra work to climb back up the leaderboard.
The big question now is how he responds. McIlroy has plenty of experience bouncing back from setbacks, and with three rounds still to play there is time to recover. All eyes will be on his second round to see whether he can turn the frustration into a charge.
