DUBAI: Tommy Fleetwood produced a stunning birdie-birdie finish to hold off the challenge of Rory McIlroy and Thriston Lawrence and win the Dubai Invitational.
The Englishman entered the final day at Dubai Creek Resort with a one-shot lead and with McIlroy his nearest challenger, a mouthwatering head-to-head was in store.
While those around him produced fireworks, Fleetwood was a picture of consistency, but he dropped out of the lead for the first time with a bogey on the 16th.
He was still one back on the 18th tee after he and McIlroy both birdied the penultimate hole, but as the Northern Irishman found the water and made a bogey, Fleetwood holed from 16 feet for a 67, a 19 under total and a seventh DP World Tour title.
South African Lawrence finished alongside McIlroy at 18 under, two clear of England’s Jordan Smith and three ahead of 2018 Open Champion Francesco Molinari.
The victory is Fleetwood’s third in the UAE after claiming two wins in Abu Dhabi and follows a second-place finish at the 2023 season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
“I’m very happy,” said Dubai resident Fleetwood. “It was amazing winning. Like almost everybody else in the world of golf, I don’t win anywhere near as much as I would like to but just that winning feeling is great.
“This is obviously where I live and have a lot of support. It’s great to kick off the year with a great result and push on from here.
“I feel like I’ve been saying for a long time that I’ve been doing a lot of really great things. I have amazing people that I’m working with, win, lose or draw today. Next week will be the same. We just crack on, and we keep pushing forward and hopefully keep moving in the right direction.”
