Rory McIlroy's opening round in Abu Dhabi unraveled when officials ruled he improved his lie, turning a double-bogey six into an eight.
Rory McIlroy's first day at the Abu Dhabi Championship took a messy turn after officials hit him with a two-shot penalty for improving his lie. The ruling came after a round in which he had already stumbled at the par-4 12th.
McIlroy had made a six on the hole, a double-bogey that dented his card. The penalty pushed it to an eight, a much uglier number. He signed for a two-under 70, leaving him eight shots behind the leader.
The Northern Irishman insisted he had no intention of gaining an advantage. Even so, the incident did not look good, and it handed him a frustrating start to the week.
At the top of the leaderboard, Francesco Laporta is setting the pace after a bogey-free 62. His flawless round puts him in command, and McIlroy now has plenty of ground to make up over the remaining rounds.
