McIlroy forgot to update his knowledge of the rules of golf.

Unaware that the rules had changed, Northern Ireland golfer Rory McIlroy relieved his ball according to instructions in 2019 and was penalized two strokes at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Rory McIlroy speaks with the referee during the first round of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am at Spyglass Hill, California, on February 1st. Photo: AFP

The current golf rules, in effect since January 2023, include new guidelines on the procedure for relieving a ball when play is impossible. McIlroy encountered this problem while playing on the par-5 7th hole at Spyglass Hill during the first round of a PGA Tour event in California on February 1st.

On that hole, McIlroy hit into the dense pine thicket to the left of the fairway. After determining he couldn't swing on the second shot, the former world number one accepted a one-stroke penalty to reposition the ball. Following that decision, he determined a straight line connecting the flag through the existing spot to reference the drop area.

After completing this step, McIlroy stepped back a few paces and used his driver to measure the "release zone," drawing a perpendicular line from the reference line to the right, and then hitting from there. But McIlroy followed the wrong procedure. The latest version of the golf rules stipulates that the ball must be dropped on the reference line and, after being dropped, allowed to roll within the confines of a driver in any direction. In reality, McIlroy violated this prerequisite.

McIlroy forgot to update his knowledge of the rules of golf.

McIlroy measured the ball's release zone incorrectly.

After the first round, McIlroy was penalized two strokes by the referee for dropping his ball in the wrong place on hole 7, turning a bogey into a triple bogey.

"I didn't know the golf rules changed in 2023, so I dropped the ball according to the 2019 guidelines," McIlroy admitted after the opening round of the 2024 Pebble Beach Pro-Am. In this round, due to a triple bogey on hole 7, he only finished at -1, placing him T39. Thomas Detry is currently in the lead at -9.

The tournament alternates between Spyglass Hill and Pebble Beach Golf Links for the first two rounds, with the remaining two rounds held exclusively at Pebble Beach.

This year's Pebble Beach Pro-Am has been elevated to a special status on the PGA Tour, bringing the prize fund to $20 million, with $3.6 million going to the winner.

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