Rory McIlroy penalized two shots for bad drop during Round 1 of AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

McIlroy's tough finish

Rory McIlroy was cruising along at 6 under for the day when things started to unravel. He had a three-putt bogey at No. 6 and then at the par-5 seventh hole, his drive went left of the fairway and under a tree.

McIlroy declared his ball unplayable and took a drop with a penalty. He made what he thought was a bogey, but later learned that he had taken an incorrect drop.

After completing his round, McIlroy was informed that the rule had changed in 2023 and he should have dropped the ball back from where it was in line with the flag. With the penalty added, he signed for a 1-under 71.

Explanation of the rule

Stephen Cox, the Tour's vice president of tournament administration, explained the rule to McIlroy. The current rule, rewritten in 2023, requires the player to go back from where the ball was in line with the flag and drop the ball on that line.

The ball can then roll up to a club length in any direction before a re-drop is required. McIlroy mistakenly followed the old rule, where he would measure one club length off the line in either direction and drop it within that club length.

Unfortunately, this mistake resulted in a two-stroke penalty for McIlroy.

Impact on McIlroy's score

With the two-stroke penalty, McIlroy's score for the round changed from a 3-under 69 to a 1-under 71.

He now sits eight shots off the lead after the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.