Lowry and McIlroy chasing Elvira

Nacho Elvira remained composed in windy conditions, securing a two-shot lead as he heads into the final round of the 2026 Dubai Invitational.

 

The Spaniard, who shared the second-round lead overnight with Shane Lowry at five under, managed to offset an early bogey with four birdies, finishing with a solid 68 on Moving Day at Dubai Creek Resort.

 

Elvira is on the hunt for his third title on the DP World Tour following victories at the 2021 Cazoo Open supported by Gareth Bale and the 2024 Soudal Open.

 

Leading at eight under, he holds a two-shot advantage over a strong group chasing at seven under, which includes Dylan Frittelli, who shot a remarkable 66, alongside Lowry and Englishman Marcus Armitage. “I’m very pleased. It’s been a challenging couple of days with the wind. I’m pretty happy with it,” Elvira expressed.

 

“I’ve been around long enough not to feel too nervous tomorrow,” he added. “I intend to enjoy it, learn from past experiences, and see what happens. I’m extremely happy.”

 

Elvira quickly became the sole leader despite starting with three pars when Lowry bogeyed the third hole, dropping to four under, alongside Frenchman Antoine Rozner and Frittelli, who both had strong starts. Lowry recorded another bogey at the sixth, but after birdieing the seventh, he tied with Elvira as well as Rozner and Frittelli at four under.

 

The leading group expanded to five when Matt Wallace sank his third birdie of the day at the tenth hole. Following Wallace’s birdie, Rozner soared to five under with a birdie at the ninth. Frittelli’s birdie at the 11th tied him with Rozner at the top, but both Lowry and Elvira caught up on the same hole, re-establishing their lead.

 

Elvira started the back nine with a birdie, regaining the outright lead at six under, and extended his advantage to two strokes with an eight-foot birdie at the 13th. Frittelli and Lowry continued to chase at five under, joined by Armitage, who bounced back from a bogey at the seventh with three birdies in four holes starting from the tenth, and Rory McIlroy.

 

McIlroy began with a birdie but dropped a shot at the fourth. However, birdies at the tenth, 13th, and 16th soon brought him into contention. Frittelli wrapped up his round with an impressive birdie at the last, finishing with a clubhouse score of six under while Elvira had three holes remaining.

 

Elvira regained his two-shot advantage with a beautiful 17-foot birdie on the penultimate hole, closing out with a par. Lowry’s round included two birdies and two bogeys on the front nine, and he had to wait until the 17th for his next birdie, narrowly missing another at the final hole.

 

Frittelli completed his bogey-free round in 66 with three birdies starting at the third, along with additional gains at the 11th and last hole. Armitage capped his round with a 21-foot birdie at the 18th, joining Frittelli at six under.

 

World Number Two McIlroy recorded a 68 to finish fifth alone, while Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen and South African Jacques Kruyswijk both turned in flawless rounds of 66 alongside Spaniard David Puig, who finished at five under.

 

Geoff Yang claimed the 2026 Dubai Invitational Team Event Championship with a total of 17 under.

 

“It’s incredible,” Yang said. “I haven’t spent much time in Dubai—it’s only my second visit—but experiencing this tournament at this beautiful golf course and being so well organized has been wonderful.”