Shane Lowry’s last hole 'disaster' in Dubai paves way for this Spaniard to win his third DP World Tour title

DUBAI — Shane Lowry spoke powerfully after a 72nd hole meltdown cost him at least a spot in a playoff at the DP World Tour’s Dubai Invitational, where he and Rory McIlroy were among the big names upstaged by Spain’s Nacho Elvira.

Lowry stood on the tee tied for the lead at 10 under par at the water-laden 18th hole at Dubai Creek, before blasting a neat fade down the left side and into the first cut. A simple wedge shot from 139 yards would have left two putts for a playoff with Elvira. Or, better yet, one putt for a long-awaited victory.

Then, in Lowry’s words, disaster struck. Twice. The Irishman took an extra club for his approach and sent the ball long into a greenside bunker. From there, his sand shot pitched a yard too far and the ball rolled past the hole and down into a water hazard. A double-bogey 6 relegated the 2019 Open champion to eight under and T-3 with McIlroy.

He spoke to reporters after shooting 69 to finish two back of Elvira, who earned his third career DP World Tour victory by shooting a 69 of his own to end at 10-under total. New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier was second at nine under.

“That was a disaster, wasn't it?” a visibly shaken Lowry said. “What can you do? You have to learn from it and move on, lads. This game is ... I don't know. It's the start of my 18th season on tour and I'll never figure it out.

“I tried my best. I did everything I could and hit the wrong club in the last, and that cost me a playoff. I was just trying to hit a soft 9 [iron]. To be fair, if you hit a wedge at the flag and it comes out a little softer, it goes into the water [short of the green] and in hindsight I probably would have been better doing that because you can get it up and down from there.

“I hit a shocking shot. It’s not good enough.”

Lowry, who teamed with McIlroy in 2024 to win the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic team event, has not won an individual tournament in nearly four years since the 2022 BMW PGA at Wentworth.

The fact the Dubai Invitational is a lead-in event to next week’s Dubai Desert Classic—the DP World Tour’s first Rolex Series event of 2026 held 20 minutes down the road at the Emirates Golf Club—didn’t matter for the 38-year-old Lowry. Every DP World Tour win counts.

“This is going to hurt, like, for a day or two,” Lowry said. “I haven't won in a few years, and it's hard to get over the line. I know this is not like the biggest tournament in the world, you still get [a chance] to beat Rory McIlroy down the stretch and I almost did that. I gave it to Nacho at the end. It's a bit of a disaster.”

Asked if there were positives he could take into Emirates GC and the season ahead, Lowry struggled.

“There is [but] I should be winning and I didn't,” Lowry said. “I'll lick my wounds and move on and get going for next week.”

Masters champion McIlroy had his own chance to seize the Dubai Invitational after five straight birdies from the ninth catapulted him to a share of the lead. But the Northern Irishman ran out of the steam required to keep pace with Lowry and Elvira. Given his finish was less inauspicious than Lowry’s, McIlroy was able to see the silver lining for the rest of the season. Which was, that even without his best golf he can still win.

“Yeah, I started hitting some good shots and making some putts and [Nos. 9 through 13] it was a nice period of golf,” McIlroy said.

"[This week you’re] preparing for the big part of the season, I guess, from April through to July. You’re just really trying to see where your game's at and just trying to make little adjustments and tweaks here and there when you need to.

“But yeah, I saw some decent signs out there. I still need to sharpen up the game a little bit if I want to contend next week.”

McIlroy, coming off the greatest year of his career, will be among an elite field at the Emirates GC, where he’ll attempt to win a record fifth Dubai Desert Classic title.