A round that unravelled after the scorecard was in
Rory McIlroy came off Yas Links looking like a man on 68. He signed for a 70. A post-round review of the par-four 12th at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship found he had improved his lie, and two shots were added to his card. His double-bogey six became a quadruple-bogey eight.
Replays showed his third shot, a chip, rolling back into a sandy divot. As he felt out the lie with a 54-degree wedge, a blade of grass appeared to move. McIlroy said he never meant to press anything down, but accepted the ruling and added that the video does not look good.
He answered on the back nine. He birdied the 11th before the penalty hole, then drove the 359-yard 14th, holed from 40 feet at the 15th and picked up another shot at the 16th. He could not birdie the par-five last and sits eight shots back, level with Race to Dubai leader Eugenio Chacarra. McIlroy started the week third in the standings, chasing an eighth title.
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Laporta sets the pace
Francesco Laporta is the story of the day. The Italian went round bogey-free in 62, with an eagle and eight birdies, and finished 10 under. He turned in 30, birdied four holes in a six-hole stretch from the 11th and needed a birdie-eagle finish to threaten a 59. A par at the 17th and a missed birdie chance at the last left him short of both the 59 and the course record.
Jon Rahm, Sam Bairstow and Bernd Wiesberger share second on seven under, with Rahm’s 65 built on seven birdies and no mistakes. Matthew Jordan and Adrian Meronk are a stroke further back. Tyrrell Hatton and defending champion Aaron Rai both shot 67s and sit five behind.
Chacarra, playing alongside McIlroy, said he did not think the lie was improved. The referee saw it differently. Patrick Reed completed the group with a 74 after a double bogey at the last.
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