Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy has been issued a two-shot penalty during the opening round of the Abu Dhabi Championship for altering his ball's lie.

The penalty was applied after McIlroy pressed down on the grass behind his ball with his club before executing a chip shot on the par-four 12th hole at Yas Links.

This decision means McIlroy, who is currently eight shots adrift of leader Francesco Laporta, cannot reach the level he appeared to be approaching with an initial four-under 68 scorecard.

Laporta, representing Italy, surged into a commanding three-shot lead by carding an opening round of 62 during the tournament's first day.

American Patrick Reed, who sits second in the season-long standings one position ahead of McIlroy, struggled significantly with an opening score of 74.

Reed encountered difficulties on the final hole after finding water and subsequently double-bogeyed that par-four to finish his round at 74.

Spaniard Xander Chacarra, playing alongside Reed and McIlroy in the season-long standings following three victories this year, recorded a messy round with six birdies and four bogeys.

Chacarra aims to become the third Spaniard after Seve Ballesteros and Jon Rahm to win the tournament, while McIlroy hopes to draw level with Colin Montgomerie on eight titles.

Defending champion Aaron Rai and fellow Englishman Tyrrell Hatton both carded rounds of 67 in their respective performances during the event.

Tommy Fleetwood, who lost to Rai in last year's play-off, is currently alongside McIlroy and Chacarra at two under par for the tournament.

Jon Rahm from Spain sits alongside England's Sam Bairstow and Austria's Bernd Wiesberger with a strong start to the competition.

Matthew Jordan and Adrian Meronk are positioned one shot further back in the leaderboard following their opening rounds.

The six-time major winner Reed would become the second American after Collin Morikawa to clinch the season-long crown if he were to win this event.

McIlroy stated that pressing down on the grass was not his intended action when the penalty was announced.

No further legal proceedings or right of reply are currently required regarding the ruling by the tournament officials.