Rory McIlroy experienced a mixed start to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am yesterday, with the 34-year old carding a -1 score of 71 to sit eight shots off the lead after the opening day's play.
The Northern Irishman had started his round in fine form, leading the field at one stage after birdieing six of the opening 14 holes.
However, his round would take a downward turn on the course's seventh hole after McIlroy was given a two-shot penalty due to a fairly obscure rule.
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Rory McIlroy penalised for breaking obscure rule at Pebble Beach
After hitting his tee shot on the par-five seventh into the trees, Rory McIlroy opted to take a drop due to what he felt was an unplayable lie.
In order to do so, he moved backward in line with his ball and the flagstick. However, after he went on to drop the ball one club length to the right of that line, he would be punished under Rule 19.2b of the USGA rule book.
That law changed in January of 2023, meaning that players were no longer allowed to drop their ball one club length away from his reference line. Had he not move the ball to the right, he would not have been punished.
You can hear the PGA Tour broadcast team sum up the incident below.
Rory McIlroy has been assessed a two-stroke penalty after this drop on the par-5 seventh hole. pic.twitter.com/7PtnytRc5t
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 1, 2024
The rules changed in 2023. For back of the line relief, you still go back from the flagstick from where the ball is.
However, you have to drop it on that line. It can roll any direction, even forward, by one club length. Rory, from that line, dropped one club length to the side.
That makes it the wrong place and would be a two-shot penalty.
Rory McIlroy was not aware the a rules breach had occurred at the time, although he would accept that there had been an infringement when the situation was explained by the referee.
Speaking to reporters after the round, the golfer would admit that he had no idea that this rule had been changed just over 12 months ago.
So I took an unplayable on 7 and I took it back online. Then unbeknownst to me the rule changed in January 2023 where you used to be able to come back online, take a club length either side.
That was changed in 2019 to be able to do that. I wasn't aware that that rule was changed again in 2023, so I took a drop thinking of the 2019 rules when everything was sort of changed not knowing that the rule was changed again in 2023, so got a two-stroke penalty there.
Rory McIlroy would go on to bogey the following hole, essentially wiping out the good work he did over the opening portion of his round.
He will be hoping that he can bounce back from that over the coming days.
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