Excitement and tension characterized the first date of the DP World Tour of the new year at the Dubai Creek Resort, with a thrilling finale that kept everyone in suspense. Tommy Fleetwood captured the Dubai Invitational with a stunning overall score of -19 after a close competition with Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and South Africa's Thriston Lawrence.
Tommy Fleetwood, results
The par 71 course at Dubai Creek Resort was the scene of a veritable birdie festival on a day with perfect weather conditions. It all came down to the last three holes. On the 16th hole, Fleetwood and McIlroy were tied at -18, while Lawrence was also at -18 but had already completed his round.
Englishman Fleetwood suffered a crucial shot on the par-3 16th, while McIlroy made a par. But Fleetwood didn't give up, birdieing the 17th to take the lead before the decisive tee of the 18th hole. Here came the twist, with Fleetwood making a crucial birdie with an incredible putt, while McIlroy made a bogey , landing in the water with his first shot and handing the victory to Fleetwood.
Second place was shared by Rory McIlroy and Thriston Lawrence, both at -18. Lawrence proved to be a formidable contender in this competition, finishing his final run with a remarkable -7. Fourth place was taken by Jordan Smith at -16, who had three strokes gained in the final four holes and ended his week in style.
Francesco Molinari delivered an extraordinary performance, achieving the best score of the day with an exceptional -8 and finishing fifth with an overall score of -15. Molinari was in top form, with a solid performance on the greens and impressive accuracy in his iron shots.
This performance promises well for the new season and gives hope that we can see the return to the top of this champion of Italian sport. Sixth position was occupied by Zander Lombard and Sean Crocker at -14, while Thorbjorn Olesen and Yannik Paul placed eighth at -12.
Poland's Adrian Meronk completed the top-10 with a score of -11. Also noteworthy is the good performance of Guido Migliozzi, who gained eight positions and finished in 13th place with a total of -13. Next week we remain in the United Arab Emirates for the first Rolex Series tournament.