Nacho Elvira triumphed at the Dubai Invitational final over Shane Lowry, Rory McIlroy, and David Hillier. Marcel Siem finished in the top 15.
Nacho Elvira secured a gripping victory against high-profile competitors to claim the first DP World Tour title of the year. The Spaniard had extended his lead to three strokes before dropping consecutive bogeys on the front nine and encountering water trouble at the 10th hole. While he managed to save par there, it opened the door for rivals like Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, David Hillier, and Marcus Armitage, who were all tied for first midway through the final round.
DP World Tour: Thrilling Final Battle at Dubai Invitational
McIlroy surged into a shared lead with five consecutive birdies but faltered with a bogey on 18. Shane Lowry escaped the pack to take lone lead with a monster putt on the 15th. Elvira caught up on 17, turning the tournament into a two-man race on the 18th. The Spaniard held his nerve with a solid par after missing the green, while Lowry landed his second shot in a bunker and then sent the ball over the green into the water, resulting in a double bogey and dropping him to third place, tied with McIlroy.
This victory marked Elvira’s third on tour, following his win at the Soudal Open in May 2024.
Strong Performances by Marcel Siem and Nicolai von Dellingshausen
Marcel Siem surged on the first final day of the year with a 66, climbing to T13 and narrowly missing the top 10. He made nine birdies but also four bogeys, often due to missed greens. Notably, on the 18th, he ended up precariously at the water’s edge, incurring a penalty drop and narrowly missing a par-saving shot. Overall, he improved his position by 12 places.
Nicolai von Dellingshausen appeared to find form after three moderate rounds to finish his first 2026 tournament with a 68, three under par, improving slightly to T47. After previous rounds included at least one double bogey, he mostly avoided mistakes on Sunday, recording just one bogey after a three-putt on hole 5 and totaling four birdies, evenly split between the front and back nines with excellent approach shots.