IRELAND’S SHANE LOWRY is tied for second, two shots off leader Nacho Elvira, after the third round of the Dubai Invitational.
Rory McIlroy is a shot further back from Lowry heading into Sunday’s final round.
Spaniard Elvira posted a second successive 68 to earn a two-shot advantage over Lowry, Englishman Marcus Armitage, and South Africa’s Dylan Frittelli, all of whom sit in a three-way tie for second.
Lowry, bidding for his first DP World Tour title since winning the 2022 BMW PGA Championship, had started the day at the top of the leaderboard alongside Elvira.
The Offaly man dropped two shots with bogeys at the third and sixth, but he was able to respond with three birdies across the last 12 holes in a one-under 70 to keep his hopes alive.
A dropped shot at the seventh dented Armitage’s bid but he landed four birdies on the back nine to ensure he is only two behind.
Frittelli impressed with five birdies in a bogey-free round to put himself in the mix. But it is Elvira – who carded four birdies and a sole bogey – holding the advantage heading into the final 18 holes.
McIlroy had carded five bogeys to sign for an underwhelming three-over 74 on Friday, but he’s firmly back in the mix after his third-round 68.
The Northern Irishman started his penultimate round with a birdie at the par-four opener only to stumble to a bogey six at the fourth.
However, he fought back with three birdies on the back nine to keep himself in title contention.
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McIlroy holds an impressive record in his opening tournament of the year, winning once, finishing runner-up on six occasions, and 15 top-five finishes.
Speaking after Saturday’s round, he said: “I would say the key to that is the opportunity to work on some things when you have a little bit of time off over the Christmas period, and then the enthusiasm to start a new year and start fresh.
“I have always loved coming out here to the Middle East and to Dubai and playing in these tournaments, even as an amateur. I have been coming here for over 20 years and it’s a place I’m comfortable in.”
Seamus Power (IRL) watches his tee shot on 2 during the second round of the Sony Open. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Elsewhere, Ireland’s Seamus Power is tied for 47th at the US PGA Tour Sony Open.
The Waterford native registered a second-round 71, after opening with a 67 to leave him seven shots off the lead on two under par.
Defending champion Nick Taylor remained tied for the lead on Friday, but the Canadian had quite a bit more company at the top.
Canada’s Taylor had four birdies and three bogeys in his one-under par 69 at Waialae Country Club to join a five-way tie for the halfway lead on nine-under 131.
Taylor, who started the day tied with Kevin Roy on eight-under, had moved to 10-under with birdies at the 15th and 16th, but missed the green on the way to a bogey at the par-three 17th.
“The wind was strong and with some gusts,” Taylor said of the tougher conditions that prevailed on the par-70 course in Honolulu. “A lot of holes were relatively crosswind, so it was tough to get yardages correctly.
“I felt like I hit it probably not as good off the tee today, but it was definitely difficult with the wind.”
Roy maintained his share of the lead with a one-under 69 that also featured four birdies — the last at his final hole, the par-five ninth.
The two were joined at nine-under by Davis Riley, South Korean Kim Seong-hyeon and Belgian Adrien Dumont de Chassart.
Riley matched the best round of the day with a six-under 64 that included seven birdies and a bogey.
Dumont de Chassart posted a three-under 67, and Kim carded a 68.
The leading group was one stroke clear of a quartet sharing sixth on 132.
Former world number one Vijay Singh, 62, made the cut in his first PGA Tour start since 2021.
Singh has opted to use the tour’s one-time career money exemption, by which he is eligible for full-field events all season as a player inside the top 50 in career earnings.
The three-time major winner still sits in sixth place on the all-time money list with $71.2 million.
The Fijian opened with a two-under 68 and posted an even par 70 on Friday, and a two-under made the cut by two strokes.
The event is the first of 2026 after the cancellation of The Sentry at Kapalua because of drought and water restrictions affecting the course on Maui.
Additional reporting by AFP
You can view the Dubai Invitational leaderboard in full here and the Sony Open leaderboard here.
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Shane Lowry two off the lead in tie for second, McIlroy a shot further back in Dubai
LAST UPDATE | 17 Jan
Updated at 16.16
IRELAND’S SHANE LOWRY is tied for second, two shots off leader Nacho Elvira, after the third round of the Dubai Invitational.
Rory McIlroy is a shot further back from Lowry heading into Sunday’s final round.
Spaniard Elvira posted a second successive 68 to earn a two-shot advantage over Lowry, Englishman Marcus Armitage, and South Africa’s Dylan Frittelli, all of whom sit in a three-way tie for second.
Lowry, bidding for his first DP World Tour title since winning the 2022 BMW PGA Championship, had started the day at the top of the leaderboard alongside Elvira.
The Offaly man dropped two shots with bogeys at the third and sixth, but he was able to respond with three birdies across the last 12 holes in a one-under 70 to keep his hopes alive.
A dropped shot at the seventh dented Armitage’s bid but he landed four birdies on the back nine to ensure he is only two behind.
Frittelli impressed with five birdies in a bogey-free round to put himself in the mix. But it is Elvira – who carded four birdies and a sole bogey – holding the advantage heading into the final 18 holes.
McIlroy had carded five bogeys to sign for an underwhelming three-over 74 on Friday, but he’s firmly back in the mix after his third-round 68.
The Northern Irishman started his penultimate round with a birdie at the par-four opener only to stumble to a bogey six at the fourth.
However, he fought back with three birdies on the back nine to keep himself in title contention.
McIlroy holds an impressive record in his opening tournament of the year, winning once, finishing runner-up on six occasions, and 15 top-five finishes.
Speaking after Saturday’s round, he said: “I would say the key to that is the opportunity to work on some things when you have a little bit of time off over the Christmas period, and then the enthusiasm to start a new year and start fresh.
“I have always loved coming out here to the Middle East and to Dubai and playing in these tournaments, even as an amateur. I have been coming here for over 20 years and it’s a place I’m comfortable in.”
Elsewhere, Ireland’s Seamus Power is tied for 47th at the US PGA Tour Sony Open.
The Waterford native registered a second-round 71, after opening with a 67 to leave him seven shots off the lead on two under par.
Defending champion Nick Taylor remained tied for the lead on Friday, but the Canadian had quite a bit more company at the top.
Canada’s Taylor had four birdies and three bogeys in his one-under par 69 at Waialae Country Club to join a five-way tie for the halfway lead on nine-under 131.
Taylor, who started the day tied with Kevin Roy on eight-under, had moved to 10-under with birdies at the 15th and 16th, but missed the green on the way to a bogey at the par-three 17th.
“The wind was strong and with some gusts,” Taylor said of the tougher conditions that prevailed on the par-70 course in Honolulu. “A lot of holes were relatively crosswind, so it was tough to get yardages correctly.
“I felt like I hit it probably not as good off the tee today, but it was definitely difficult with the wind.”
Roy maintained his share of the lead with a one-under 69 that also featured four birdies — the last at his final hole, the par-five ninth.
The two were joined at nine-under by Davis Riley, South Korean Kim Seong-hyeon and Belgian Adrien Dumont de Chassart.
Riley matched the best round of the day with a six-under 64 that included seven birdies and a bogey.
Dumont de Chassart posted a three-under 67, and Kim carded a 68.
The leading group was one stroke clear of a quartet sharing sixth on 132.
Former world number one Vijay Singh, 62, made the cut in his first PGA Tour start since 2021.
Singh has opted to use the tour’s one-time career money exemption, by which he is eligible for full-field events all season as a player inside the top 50 in career earnings.
The three-time major winner still sits in sixth place on the all-time money list with $71.2 million.
The Fijian opened with a two-under 68 and posted an even par 70 on Friday, and a two-under made the cut by two strokes.
The event is the first of 2026 after the cancellation of The Sentry at Kapalua because of drought and water restrictions affecting the course on Maui.
Additional reporting by AFP
You can view the Dubai Invitational leaderboard in full here and the Sony Open leaderboard here.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
as it stands Dubai invitational Golf Nacho Elvira Rory McIlroy Shane Lowry