Tommy Fleetwood wins in Dubai as Rory McIlroy falters on No. 18

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Tommy Fleetwood benefited from two enormous errors on the again 9 from Rory McIlroy and produced his personal sturdy end to win the Dubai Invitational following a back-and-forth final-round duel Sunday.

McIlroy had already three-putted from 2 ft at No. 14 by the point he reached the 18th tee with a 1-shot lead over Fleetwood and pulled his drive into the water.

Fleetwood adopted that by driving into the center of the green and despatched his method to 16 ft, properly inside McIlroy after the world No. 2 needed to take a drop.

McIlroy missed his winding putt up the hill, and Fleetwood made his personal to shoot 67 for 19-under 265 total, securing a primary win for the reason that Nedbank Golf Problem in November 2022.

He was a stroke away from McIlroy (67), who tied for second place with Thriston Lawrence (64) within the first European tour occasion of 2024.

“First week again out, I believe you are going to count on a few of these sloppy errors,” McIlroy mentioned. “Sadly for me, these errors got here on the mistaken time at the moment.”

McIlroy smiled and gave Fleetwood an enormous hug on the 18th inexperienced after lacking out on a primary victory for the reason that Scottish Open in July. They’re shut associates and had been enjoying companions on the Ryder Cup final 12 months.

“It is all the time very particular while you play with one among your mates, probably the greatest gamers on this planet, difficult your self in opposition to these guys,” the Fifteenth-ranked Fleetwood mentioned. “Rory’s been a really, very supportive affect on me over the previous. … I’ve watched him do wonderful issues down the stretch in golf tournaments, and at the moment was my flip.”

McIlroy, the world No. 2, began the day a stroke again from Fleetwood and was 3 behind after the tenth gap. However 4 birdies in a five-hole stretch — on both aspect of that unfathomable three-putt on the par-3 14th — put him right into a tie with Fleetwood.

After a sloppy bogey at No. 16, Fleetwood holed a birdie putt from 30 ft on the seventeenth to remain inside 1 shot of McIlroy after which capitalized on his enjoying accomplice’s worst swing of the day on the 18th tee.

“I’ve had loads of occasions the place any individual has completed properly in opposition to me after I’ve not fairly completed sufficient, and at the moment was my flip to stroll by means of the door at the moment,” mentioned Fleetwood, who lives in Dubai. “It was simply a kind of issues. You study each time you play, good, dangerous, no matter it’s, you all the time ought to study each time you play. The extra you set your self in these positions, you retain determining who you need to be as a participant while you’re on the market, what perspective you need to have, the way you need to play, and simply work towards that, and at the moment was a very good day for me.”