Nacho Elvira prevailed in a final showdown against Shane Lowry, Rory McIlroy, and David Hillier at the Dubai Invitational. Marcel Siem finished in the Top 15.
Nacho Elvira secured an intense battle against top names to claim the first DP World Tour title of the year. The Spaniard had extended his lead to three strokes but stumbled with bogey, bogey on the closing holes of the front nine and hit the water at the 10th. He managed to save par there, yet opened the door for rivals like Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, David Hillier, and Marcus Armitage, who all shared the lead after just over half of the final round.
DP World Tour: Exciting Final Battle at Dubai Invitational
McIlroy had surged into a shared lead with five consecutive birdies but dropped back with a bogey on the 18th. Shane Lowry broke away from the pack, taking sole lead with a monster putt on the 15th.
SHANE LOWRY TAKES THE LEAD ☘️#DubaiInvitational pic.twitter.com/2cr5rf5d0I
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 18, 2026
Elvira responded on the 17th and the tournament came down to a duel on the 18th. There the Spaniard showed stronger nerves with a solid par after missing the green. Lowry, however, hit his second shot into the bunker and then overshot the green into the water. He ended with a double bogey, falling back to third place, which he shares with McIlroy.
This marks Elvira’s third win on the Tour; his previous victory was at the Soudal Open in May 2024.
Marcel Siem and Nicolai von Dellingshausen’s Performances
Marcel Siem fired a 66 in the first final day of the new year, climbing to T13 and narrowly missing the Top 10. He made nine birdies but also recorded four bogeys, often due to missed greens. At the 18th, Siem found himself awkwardly at the water’s edge; after a penalty drop, he narrowly