Spain's Nacho Elvira won the Dubai Invitational with a 274 (69, 68, 68, 69, -10) shot, returning to success on the DP World Tour after nearly two years. In a thrilling finale, he edged out New Zealander Daniel Hillier, who finished second with a 275 (-9). In third place with a 276 (-8) were Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, world number two, Ireland's Shane Lowry, France's Julien Guerrier, and Spain's David Puig, a member of LIV Golf. In seventh place with a 278 (-6) were England's Marcus Armitage and Matt Wallace, and Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen. Only 25th with a 284 (par) was England's Tommy Fleetwood, world number three, defending his title.
Nacho Elvira, results
On the par-71 Dubai Creek Resort course in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the three Italians in the field finished in the middle of the pack: Guido Migliozzi, 33rd with a 288 (72 74 72 70, +4), Matteo Manassero, 38th with a 289 (71 78 72 68, +5), and Francesco Molinari, 47th with a 293 (71 76 72 74, +9).
Everything came down to a last-minute decision with Elvira, who, after nine swinging holes (three birdies, two bogeys), made a birdie on the 17th for a winning score of 69 (-2). It probably wouldn't have been enough without the mistakes of Shane Lowry, who led at the start of the 18th but botched everything, even sending a ball into the water for a double bogey, and McIlroy, who cut himself off from at least a playoff with a ball in the rough on the same hole. As for Hillier, who arrived at the clubhouse well ahead of schedule and was also leading with his "minus nine," he spent a lot of time on the driving range, hoping for a playoff, but the winner played the final hole very carefully, knowing that par would be enough.
Elvira, a 38-year-old from Madrid, secured her third title on the tour, following those in the Cazoo Open (2021) and the Soudal Open (2024), for a list of victories that also includes four wins on the HotelPlanner Tour. For her victory, she received a check for €400,526 from a prize pool of approximately €2,370,000 (officially $2,750,000).
In the final round, both Guido Migliozzi, a 29-year-old from Vicenza, gained seven spots with a partial 70 (-1, three birdies, two bogeys), and Matteo Manassero, a 32-year-old from Negrar di Valpolicella (VR), gained seven spots with a 68 (-3, six birdies, three bogeys). Francesco Molinari, a 43-year-old from Turin, lost five spots with a 74 (+3, two birdies, three bogeys, one double bogey).
