Rory McIlroy makes 11 birdies in Abu Dhabi second round and says 'didn’t dwell' on penalty

Rory McIlroy turned around his first-round penalty controversy by hitting 11 birdies and scoring 9-under 63 at the Abu Dhabi Championship on Friday. The Masters champion was at 11-under after two rounds as play continued at Yas Links. McIlroy said the course was "very gettable today, there’s not a lot of wind. A lot of opportunities."

He added, "I would say I’ll be at least two or three behind going into tomorrow. But it's still in a much better position than I thought I would be." On Thursday, McIlroy received a two-shot penalty after officials deemed he altered his lie on a hole where he made double-bogey. He finished the round with a 2-under 70, eight shots behind leader Francesco Laporta.

McIlroy said he accepted the penalty and didn't let it bother him. "Before I left the course, I made peace with it. I didn’t dwell on it. I'd much rather be two shots worse off than be called a cheat. At least I went out today (and) it wasn’t playing on my mind. I had a clear conscious and I could just go and play." McIlroy started his second round with a bogey but made three birdies in the next six holes before hitting five straight birdies from No. 9.

His second bogey on the 14th hole was followed by three birdies on the last four holes. McIlroy said he drove the ball well, hit his irons well, and putted better. He also noted he had worked on his putting with Brad Faxon the previous week. The two-week postseason playoffs on the European tour began with Laporta shooting 10-under, taking a three-stroke lead over three players, including fellow Spaniard Jon Rahm.