Spain's Nacho Elvira recovered from one shot down to claim a dramatic victory in the Dubai Invitational on Sunday after Shane Lowry's final hole meltdown.
The Republic of Ireland veteran had begun the closing round in a tie for second, two strokes off the Spaniard, but a birdie at the 15th lifted him into the lead and the title seemingly his to lose.
Which he somehow conspired to do in unfortunate and cruel circumstances.
Shane Lowry makes a double bogey at the 72nd hole and drops out of contention.#DubaiInvitational pic.twitter.com/6AzLz08Lpu
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 18, 2026
He found both the bunker and water on the 18th to finish with a double bogey which opened the door to Elvira to claim the first European Tour win of 2026.
The Spaniard, who had struggled early in the round, duly parred the hole for an unexpected but nonethless welcome and important victory.
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."
Winning means more in front of family 🥹#DubaiInvitational pic.twitter.com/h2ezavv62K
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 18, 2026
"I always dreamed of having my kids walking up to me on the green as I win. Whatever I do after this... nothing will compare!"
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 18, 2026
Hear from Nacho Elvira after claiming another win on the DP World Tour.#DubaiInvitational pic.twitter.com/onS8s3f5Yx
Elvira finished on a 10-under par total of 274, one shot in front of New Zealander Daniel Hillier, 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.
Lowry, bidding for his first DP World Tour title since the 2022 BMW PGA Championship, looked to have made the decisive move with a 25-foot birdie on the 15th to move to the top of the leaderboard.
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 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 him hoping for at least a play-off but Elvira, who had seen his overnight lead wiped out after successive early bogeys, held firm.
How it finished at Dubai Creek 📊#DubaiInvitational pic.twitter.com/WM3wKSeni9
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 18, 2026
LEADING FINAL ROUND SCORES (Gbr & Irl unless stated, Par 71):
274 - Nacho Elvira (ESP) 69-68-68-69
275 - Daniel Hillier (NZL) 69-72-69-65
276 - Rory McIlroy 66-74-68-68, Julien Guerrier (FRA) 68-76-66-66, David Puig (ESP) 67-72-70-67, Shane Lowry 69-68-70-69
278 - Matt Wallace 68-73-69-68, Thorbjoern Olesen (DEN) 73-70-66-69, Marcus Armitage 69-70-68-71
279 - Thriston Lawrence (RSA) 69-71-72-67, Dylan Frittelli (RSA) 70-71-66-72, Antoine Rozner (FRA) 68-72-70-69
280 - Marcel Siem (GER) 72-69-73-66, Angel Ayora (ESP) 68-72-73-67
281 - Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra (ESP) 69-75-68-69, Jacques Kruyswijk (RSA) 70-73-66-72, Adrian Otaegui (UAE) 75-72-68-66, Oliver Lindell (FIN) 68-78-71-64
282 - Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (DEN) 71-73-70-68
283 - Grant Forrest 71-70-72-70, Ewen Ferguson 72-70-68-73, Jayden Schaper (RSA) 69-73-70-71, Shaun Norris (RSA) 72-71-68-72, Joost Luiten (NED) 72-70-68-73
284 - Tommy Fleetwood 69-78-66-71