Rory McIlroy handed two-stroke penalty at Abu Dhabi Championship

Rory McIlroy received a two-stroke penalty after the opening round of the Abu Dhabi Championship, leaving him with a two-under-par 70 and eight shots behind leader Francesco Laporta. BBC Sport reported that the sanction followed a review of his actions before a chip at the par-four 12th hole at Yas Links.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRDUCtyo1Rk

McIlroy was judged to have improved his lie by pressing grass down behind the ball with his club. The decision was made after he completed the round and increased his score on the 12th from six to eight, a quadruple bogey. That hole accounted for his only dropped shots of the day.

Before the penalty, the Northern Irishman had been heading for a four-under 68. Instead, the additional strokes left the six-time major champion on 70, changing both his opening score and his distance from the lead. McIlroy accepted the ruling while saying that he had not intended to improve the position of the ball.

Explaining the incident in comments carried by BBC Sport, McIlroy said his ball was sitting at the bottom of a sandy divot. He was checking whether he could get a 54-degree wedge onto the back of it when a piece of grass became flattened. He disputed that he had pressed down, but acknowledged that the video did not look favourable.

The world number two also said he did not want anyone to believe he had escaped a penalty that should have been applied. He was willing to accept the two extra strokes and continue with the tournament. His explanation distinguished between his stated intention to assess the lie and the improvement officials judged had occurred.

McIlroy, 37, is pursuing an eighth Race to Dubai title, which would equal the record. His revised opening total put him level on two under with standings leader Eugenio Chacarra. Patrick Reed, who occupies second place in those standings immediately ahead of McIlroy, opened with a 74, leaving him four strokes behind both players in Abu Dhabi.