Nacho Elvira Claims Dubai Invitational After Shane Lowry's Late Collapse

Shane Lowry blew a one-shot lead on the last hole as Nacho Elvira recovered to claim victory in a dramatic finish to the Dubai Invitational. Lowry, who had started the final round in a tie for second, two strokes behind the Spaniard, barged into the lead after a birdie on the 15th and appeared to have the title at his mercy. But the Irishman found both bunker and water on the 18th, finishing with a double bogey that shattered his hopes and allowed Elvira, who had struggled early in the round, to duly par the 18th for victory. Elvira finished on a 10-under par total of 274, one shot in front of the fast-finishing Daniel Hillier of New Zealand, with Lowry a further shot back in a tie for third with three more players, including Rory McIlroy. McIlroy, who started the final round three shots off the lead, forced his way into contention as Elvira faltered, and briefly held a share of an increasingly crowded leaderboard after a run of birdies. Lowry, bidding for his first DP World Tour title since winning the 2022 BMW PGA Championship, looked to have made the decisive move with a 25-foot birdie on the 15th to move into the lead, and when McIlroy pulled his birdie chance wide on the 17th, he set up a golden opportunity for his close friend. But moments after Lowry had powered his much too powerful second shot on the 18th into the water, Elvira birdied the 17th to seize control. Hillier, whose six-under-par final round of 65 had thrust him into contention, had been holding out hope of a playoff, but Elvira, who had seen his overnight lead wiped out after successive early bogeys, held firm. England’s Marcus Armitage, another who briefly shared the lead, fell away with bogeys on the 12th and 14th and a double bogey on the last to finish four strokes off the lead in a tie for seventh. Elvira told Sky Sports: “It means the world. If you had told me on Tuesday that I was going to be winning this I would never have believed you. It is a dream come true.”