No prize for knowing Shane Lowry was naturally guttered, horribly letting slip a first DP World Tour in victory in well over three years at the final hole on the last day of the Dubai Invitational.
The double Ryder Cup winning Irishman was leading by a shot heading to the last when, after finding a greenside bunker with his second, he thinned his third shot across the putting surface and into the water guarding the green.
Lowry took a penalty fourth shot ahead holing out for a double-bogey ‘6’ and eventually finish in a tie for third at eight-under with fellow Ryder Cupper Rory McIlroy and two others.
Spain’s Nacho Elvira was on the final tee, in the last group of the day and then a shot behind Lowry after having birdied the 17th and needing a par, at worst, to finish tied in the lead with Lowry who was in the group ahead.
“Disaster. I Hit A Shocking Shot. Tried My Best But Not Good Enough”.
All credit @ShaneLowryGolf speaking after the gut-wrenching scenes unfolding at the final hole #DubaiInvitational @DubaiCreekGolf ☹️
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— Fatiha (@TOURMISS) January 18, 2026
Elvira split the final fairway with his drive, landed his second some seven yards from the pin and then, knowing of Lowry’s fate, putted a third to around 15 inches for a tap-in victory par.
Lowry posted a 69 to finish two back of Elvira, who earned his third career DP World Tour victory. New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier was second at nine under.
And all credit to Lowry, as spoke with the media post the round.
“That was a disaster, wasn’t it?” a visibly shaken Lowry said.“
“What can you do? You have to learn from it and move on, lads. This game is … I don’t know. It’s the start of my 18th season on tour and I’ll never figure it out.
“I tried my best. I did everything I could and hit the wrong club in the last, and that cost me a playoff. I was just trying to hit a soft 9 iron. To be fair, if you hit a wedge at the flag and it comes out a little softer, it goes into the water short of the green and in hindsight I probably would have been better doing that because you can get it up and down from there.
“I hit a shocking shot. It’s not good enough.”
What was it that Tommy Fleetwood said earlier in the week, about the game of golf, following his second round 78?
