Rory McIlroy Shakes Off Quadruple Bogey, Maintains Lead at Dubai Invitational

Rory McIlroy maintains his lead at the Dubai Invitational with a birdie.

McIlroy is 12 under par and 2 shots ahead through 36 holes in Dubai.

Bob Harikjan 12,

Rory McIlroy overcame windy conditions and a shaky four-putt to finish at 12 under and maintain a two-stroke lead ahead of the weekend’s Dubai Invitational. Ranked second in the Official World Rankings and the SI World Golf Rankings, he recorded 62 strokes and began his title defense ahead of Dubai on the DP World Tour.

But he was drawn in the second round after hitting the water twice in the eighth round at Dubai Creek Resort on Friday. The four-time champion had three birdies on the back nine to shoot a 70 and move to 10 under, ahead of Germany’s Yannick Paul and Denmark’s Geoff Winter.

Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy completes 36 holes in Dubai. McIlroy has an impressive record in the UAE, including winning three Hero Dubai Desert Classics and two DP World Tour Championships, and is aiming for his 17th DP World Tour title this weekend. He is scheduled to defend his Desert Classic title next week. “If you look at the other 17 holes I played, I think I played pretty well. Hit good irons,” McIlroy said on the DP World Tour.

“I didn’t play better than yesterday. I probably made a few putts yesterday. But things got a little complicated. The wind blew. The green was tight and there were a few unforced errors on the 8th hole. “I felt like I was doing well and playing solid fairway golf, but everyone seemed to have a harder time today than yesterday. So it’s good to keep driving at the weekend.”

British duo Tommy Fleetwood-Jordan Smith, South African Triston Lawrence-Xander Lombard and Denmark’s Torbjorn Olesen are tied at 7 under, one stroke ahead of Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard. Bob Harrick

Bob Harig is a golf writer for SI.com and the author of The Tiger and the Elephant: Golf’s Most Exciting Rivalry, published in April 2022 and available for order here.