Rory McIlroy's Dubai Invitational dreams have been dashed as he slumped to a disappointing three-over 74 in the second round, allowing Shane Lowry and Spain's Nacho Elvira to surge into contention. The Northern Irishman's error-strewn round saw him find water four times, with bogeys on three of his final five holes sealing his fate.
McIlroy, who had taken a three-shot lead into the second round, watched as Lowry and Elvira made hay in windy conditions to gain six strokes on him. The Irishman's great mate Shane Lowry was among those to profit from McIlroy's woes, as he eagled four of his last six holes to set up a share of the lead.
Lowry, who had started the day three shots behind, produced a fine round of three-under-par golf to leapfrog McIlroy and take the top spot at five under. Elvira also played superbly, gaining six strokes on McIlroy with a three-under-par 68.
The Dubliner's victory was his first DP World Tour title since winning the 2022 BMW PGA Championship, and he'll be delighted to have set himself up nicely for Saturday's final round. "Very happy. It was hard. It was tricky," Lowry said of his round. "If I play golf like that for the rest of the season in that frame of mind, I'll be pretty good."
McIlroy, meanwhile, looks set to finish third after bogeying 17 and 18, which sealed his downfall. The world No.2 will need a miracle on Saturday to reclaim the lead.
Thriston Lawrence also made a strong bid for the title with a birdied fourth and fifth, but fell back to four under after bogeying the par-three 14th. Marcus Armitage followed suit at the ninth - his last - to slip back to three under, while Angel Ayora joined McIlroy one shot further behind.
With Lowry setting up shop at five under, Elvira birdied four of his last six holes to set the clubhouse target. The Irishman will be eager to get on with Saturday's final round and take home the spoils.
McIlroy, who had taken a three-shot lead into the second round, watched as Lowry and Elvira made hay in windy conditions to gain six strokes on him. The Irishman's great mate Shane Lowry was among those to profit from McIlroy's woes, as he eagled four of his last six holes to set up a share of the lead.
Lowry, who had started the day three shots behind, produced a fine round of three-under-par golf to leapfrog McIlroy and take the top spot at five under. Elvira also played superbly, gaining six strokes on McIlroy with a three-under-par 68.
The Dubliner's victory was his first DP World Tour title since winning the 2022 BMW PGA Championship, and he'll be delighted to have set himself up nicely for Saturday's final round. "Very happy. It was hard. It was tricky," Lowry said of his round. "If I play golf like that for the rest of the season in that frame of mind, I'll be pretty good."
McIlroy, meanwhile, looks set to finish third after bogeying 17 and 18, which sealed his downfall. The world No.2 will need a miracle on Saturday to reclaim the lead.
Thriston Lawrence also made a strong bid for the title with a birdied fourth and fifth, but fell back to four under after bogeying the par-three 14th. Marcus Armitage followed suit at the ninth - his last - to slip back to three under, while Angel Ayora joined McIlroy one shot further behind.
With Lowry setting up shop at five under, Elvira birdied four of his last six holes to set the clubhouse target. The Irishman will be eager to get on with Saturday's final round and take home the spoils.
. He had such a great lead going into the second round, but just couldn't seem to catch a break 
. And poor guy, finding water four times is just rough luck 
. But kudos to Shane Lowry and Nacho Elvira for stepping up their game! They played some amazing golf out there 
. I love that Lowry was so humble about his round too, he's just chillin' about it 
. Anyway, can't wait to see what happens in the final round - is anyone gonna dethrone Lowry? 
! one round after being in the lead, he's already 6 strokes behind lowry and elvira? that's wild 
. i mean, yeah, mistakes happen but four times finding water on one round? not ideal 
His 3-over-74 was, like, a total disaster 
He played some amazing golf and set up this huge opportunity for himself on Saturday. Thriston Lawrence and Marcus Armitage are still in the mix too, so it's not like McIlroy's lost the tournament just yet 
But if he doesn't bring his A-game tomorrow, Lowry might just take home that title 
He basically just handed it to Shane Lowry who then went and crushed it 
. Lowry's eagled like 4 holes straight, talk about momentum! 
And Elvira, nice guy, got a decent round going too. Can't say I'm surprised McIlroy slumped at all though - he was already up 3 shots and played pretty poorly to begin with 
. Guess it's gonna be an interesting final round...
. Shane Lowry, on the other hand, is looking pretty sharp right now 
. He eagled like, four holes straight and just took off from there! 
And Elvira played some amazing golf too, I love how he stayed focused under all that pressure 
.
. Either way, Lowry is looking like the man to beat now 
!
!
he was leading by 3 shots but ended up shooting a whack 74, bogeying like 5 holes in a row 
anyway, it's gonna be intense for sat's final round can't wait to see what these guys do next 
but honestly tho rory is still a legend in my book 
. And I love how Shane is just chillin' about his victory, no drama at all 
. Can't wait to see what happens in the final round!
. I think the windy conditions were tough for everyone, but McIlroy's game just didn't adapt as well as others did 
. Lowry's round was super impressive, 3 under par in tricky conditions