Double Major winning Rory McIlroy had labelled as ‘stupid’ a rule that saw him slapped with a two-shot penalty on day three of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
McIlroy was in a then share of second place on 10-under par after 17 holes, and tied with Phil Mickelson (63) and India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar (66), when he was approached on the 18th hole by Scotland-born Dave Renwick and the caddy to his playing partner to Argentina’s Ricardo Gonzalez, that he should not hand in his scorecard.
Rory McIlroy’s pain in missing a birdie at 11 wasn’t a painful as being handed a two-stroke penalty. (Photo – Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)
Renwick, who is one of the Tour’s longest-serving caddies and caddied for the Majors winning pair of Fijian Vijay Singh and Australia’s Steve Elkington, advised McIlroy he believed he had not taken ‘full relief’, under the Rules of Golf, in taking a ‘free’ drop from a grass spectator crossing on the second hole.
McIlroy went onto to birdie the 18th in a score of 68 to move into second place on his own at 11-under par and just one behind Scotland’s Craig Lee (69).
However a 45-minute review of the matter then ensured with Renwick adamant McIlroy’s left was still on the white line of the spectator walkway when he played his second shot.
As TV footage could not determine where McIlroy’s foot was inside the white line, all parties headed back to the second hole where McIlroy reluctantly confirmed he had in fact not taken full relief.
Chief Referee, John Paramor had no option but to inform McIlroy to add two strokes under Rule 25-1 to his second hole score of five and instead of signing for a 68 the 24-year old had to sign for a 70.
The incident sent McIlroy from second to a share of fourth place on nine under par and it means Lee, who is seeking a first-ever Tour success, will play the last day of the $2.7m event in the company of Mickelson.
“I know in a hazard you have to take full relief but with a crosswalk, they tell me it’s ground under repair and I know ground under repair is full relief, as well,” said McIlroy.
“If I had of just noticed my foot was on the line, I would have re-dropped it and everything would have been fine.
“I didn’t gain any advantage from having my foot inside the white line and I actually dropped it in a worse lie than it was before.”
While McIlroy captured last month’s Australian Open title he is looking to win a first European Tour event in some 14 months, and also a year after the embarrassment of posting a pair of 75s in Abu Dhabi using new Nike equipment for a first time.
“I’d like to think now that what happened today can give me that little bit of extra motivation, not that winning this tournament isn’t motivation enough.
“But stuff like this, it’s sort of stupid.
“There’s a lot of stupid rules and this is one of them.”
While bitterly disappointed McIlroy said he had no animosity towards Renwick.
“No, I have no problem with Dave as you have to adhere to the rules of this game and he was pointing out something he thought was questionable,” said McIlroy.
“Dave was just doing what I guess anyone would do.
“It’s just disappointing as I had worked hard in my round to have no bogeys and then birdied the last to get myself in the final group.
“So to something like this happen … but when we went back my foot was actually inside the line by a few centimeters.
“To a spectator it may feel like I have been unduly punished, and that’s what it feels like to me, but it’s a rule of game.
“I do feel like I have been hard done by but it’s nothing that a fast start tomorrow can’t fix.”
