McIlroy: No infringement
Rory McIlroy will tee it up alongside reigning champion Trevor Immelman in the third round of the Masters after being cleared of a rules infringement late on Friday night.
The youngster from Northern Ireland, making his debut at Augusta, was going along nicely at four under par until dropping five shots in the last three holes, including a triple-bogey seven at the 18th.
The 19-year-old fluffed his third shot from the bunker and appeared to kick the sand in frustration, leading to possible disqualification under the 'testing conditions' ruling.
McIlroy left the course abruptly after going on to three-putt, telling reporters 'I don't feel like it right now' when asked to talk about his late round collapse that left him right on the cut line.
However, he was called back to the Augusta National more than four hours later to discuss his final hole antics, before eventually being cleared by officials.
No violation
A statement by competitions committee chairman Fred Ridley said: "A question was raised regarding Rory McIlroy's actions.
"The Rules of Golf (13-4) prohibit a player from testing the condition of a hazard before playing a stroke in the hazard.
"The decisions interpreting the rule state that kicking the ground in the hazard constitutes testing the condition.
"However, the rules allow the player to smooth sand or soil in the hazard after making a stroke provided that, with regard to his next stroke, nothing is done to improve the position or lie of his ball, the area of his intended swing, his line of play or a reasonable extension of his line beyond the hole or the area in which he is to drop or place a ball.
"At the request of the committee McIlroy returned to the club at approximately 8.40pm, met with the committee and reviewed the CBS tape.
"Based on the tape and Mr McIlroy's statement of what had taken place after he played the shot it was determined that no violation of the rules had occurred."
