Dubai Invitational: Rory McIlroy three shots behind third-round leader Nacho Elvira
Rory McIlroy continued his claim to start 2026 with a tournament victory by falling three shots behind leader Nacho Elvira with one round left in the Dubai Invitational.
World number two McIlroy had four birdies and a bogey in his third-round 68 at Dubai Creek Resort on Saturday to move into fifth place at five-under par.
Spanish Elvira also aimed for the third DP World Tour victory of her career, scoring 68 points and placing herself at the top of the leaderboard with a two-shot difference.
Irish Shane Lowry, who shared the leadership with Elvira after the second round, competed with 70 points and took second place with England’s Marcus Armitage (68) and South African Dylan Fritelli with an impressive score of 66 points.
Lowry had a disappointing start to the round, making shots on the third and sixth holes and making birdies on the seventh, ninth and 17th holes.
The former Open champion hopes to claim his first individual title since winning the BMW PGA Championship in 2022.
McIlroy told Sky Sports that he was using his first competitive outing of the year as “a training week” to “get rid of the rust” for next week’s Dubai Desert Classic, but added that he was still keen to get the win.
The five-time major winner shot seven birdies in the opening 66 to take the lead after round one, but fired four shots into the water for an uneven 74 in the second round on Friday.
“It’s a little bit better than yesterday, I kept the ball dry instead of the four water balls I had [in the second round]“This is what McIlroy said after his round on Saturday:
“It was a tough enough day, the wind started blowing again, maybe not as much as Friday.
“I had a slow start but I was patient and hung in there and was rewarded with three birdies on the back nine. It’s great to get into the final round in contention with a chance to win a tournament.”
Scotsman Ewen Ferguson and Englishman Matt Wallace reached three under, while Tommy Fleetwood followed his score of 78 on Friday with a 66 in the third round to move into par.
