Rory McIlroy has identified areas of his game to work on ahead of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, saying he “learned a lot” in the final stages of his bid for the title at the Dubai Invitational.
In an eventful first start to 2026, McIlroy birdied four of the last six holes with an opening-round 66, hit the water four times with a second-round 74, and then shot back-to-back 68s over the weekend to tie for third place, two strokes behind Nacho Elvira.
McIlroy entered the final day with a three-stroke lead, and in the next three holes he had two bogeys, canceling a chip-in birdie on the third and falling back to six strokes, but with a sensational run from the ninth to five consecutive birdies, he rose to the leaderboard.
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Rory McIlroy made a spectacular chip-in for an ‘unlikely’ birdie on No. 3 in the final round of the Dubai Invitational.
The birdie-birdie put McIlroy into the lead, and the Northern Irishman remained in title contention until bogey on the final hole, with the world No. 2 on the way to an impressive fightback to earn a positive result.
“I was just trying to do the best I could with what I had,” McIlroy admitted about the final round, which included six birdies and three bogeys. “We didn’t get off to the best start (Sunday).
Rory McIlroy started the year with a tied third place finish at the Dubai Invitational.
“I hit a few tee shots, hit a good iron shot on the 8th hole, hit a few good shots on the 9th hole and converted it. After that, I hit a lot of shots and converted some putts.”
“I wasn’t too focused on winning the tournament. I was just trying to get it together, make a good swing and hit a few more fairways, which I mostly did. I wish I could have hit the fairway at the end to have a chance at birdie there.”
“Overall, it was a good first week. I felt like I learned a lot about my game. I wasn’t very sharp, but I hope I’m a little sharper going into next week than I was this week.”
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Highlights from Day 4 of the Dubai Invitational at Dubai Creek Resort as Nacho Elvira scores dramatic victory
McIlroy introduced a different set of TaylorMade irons and a new golf ball ahead of his return in 2026, and began tinkering with his setup during last month’s Crown Australian Open appearance.
The Masters champion finished outside the top 20 of the 60-man field in terms of driving accuracy, regulation greens and scrambling in Dubai, but started the calendar year with his 16th top-five finish in 20 years.
Twenty years after his debut at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, McIlroy is the pre-tournament favorite to win his first Hero Dubai Desert Classic in 2026, where he has won four times.
McIlroy has won seven titles in Dubai, including four at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and three at the DP World Tour Championship.
“I need to hit a few more fairways,” McIlroy added. “I don’t think I’m hitting the club too badly, probably because of my strategy off the tee.
“I’ve been hitting a lot of drivers this week, but that was more for practice than anything else. Next week at the Emirates it’s obviously going to be important to get the ball into the fairway and give myself a chance from there.”
“I probably had a little bit more distance control, but I felt like I was figuring it out as the week went on. My short game and putting felt good, which is a really good sign.”
“I just need to work on hitting the ball a little bit and hopefully I can get there next week.”
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Best action from the final round of the 2024 Hero Dubai Desert Classic as Rory McIlroy wins for the fourth time
McIlroy secured his first professional win in 2009 when he won the Hero Dubai Desert Classic title at the age of 19, and went on to further win in 2015, 2023 and 2024 with support from Dame Laura Davies, winning a record-extending fifth Dara Trophy.
“I think that course was made for him. He’s won there many times,” Davis told Sky Sports. “I would be very surprised if Rory didn’t win.”
Who will win the Hero Dubai Desert Classic? Catch the featured group live on Sky Sports Golf from 4am on Thursday, before the full live coverage from 7.30am. Get Sky Sports now and stream without a contract.
