Nacho Elvira prevailed in a thrilling finale at the Dubai Invitational, beating Shane Lowry, Rory McIlroy and David Hillier. Marcel Siem finished in the top 15.
Nacho Elvira secured a hard-fought victory against high-profile competitors for the first DP World Tour title of the year. The Spaniard had extended his lead to three shots before stumbling with consecutive bogeys at the end of the front nine and hitting water on the 10th hole but saved par there, opening the door for rivals including Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, David Hillier and Marcus Armitage, who all shared the lead slightly past the halfway point of the final round.
DP World Tour: Exciting Final Battle at Dubai Invitational
McIlroy surged into a share of the lead with five consecutive birdies, but a bogey on the 18th dropped him back. Shane Lowry broke from the pack with a giant putt on the 15th, taking sole possession of the lead.
Elvira caught up at the 17th and the tournament was down to a duel at the 18th. There, the Spaniard showed stronger nerves with a solid par after missing the green. Lowry, however, landed in a bunker with his second shot and then pushed the ball into water beyond the green, resulting in a double bogey and dropping him to a tie for third with McIlroy.
This marks Elvira’s third tour victory, his previous win being the Soudal Open in May 2024.
Other Notable Performances
Marcel Siem energized the first final day of the new year with a 66 to climb to T13, narrowly missing the top 10. With nine birdies and four bogeys, some resulting from missed greens, he improved his position by 12 places. Nicolai von Dellingshausen found form after three modest rounds, finishing with a 68, three under par, and improved slightly to T47.