McIlroy hit with 2-shot penalty in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI — Rory McIlroy incurred a two-stroke penalty at the end of his opening round at the Abu Dhabi Championship on Thursday for a rules infringement, with Italy’s Francesco Laporta storming into the lead. Officials ruled that McIlroy improved his lie on the 12th hole when he appeared to press down grass behind his ball with his club before chipping at Yas Links. He initially made a double bogey on the par-four hole, but that later became an eight as he posted a two-under 70, leaving him eight shots off the pace set by Laporta in his bid for a record-equaling eighth Race to Dubai title. “There’s no intent. I play by the rules,” said McIlroy. “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 very good,” he added. “Obviously that wasn’t my intent. I’m just trying to get a feel for the lie. “I guess the technical term for the rule is if you press down on the piece (of grass). 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...