Nacho Elvira mastered breezy conditions for a second day to earn a two-shot advantage heading into the final round of the 2026 Dubai Invitational.
Related: Shane Lowry, Nacho Elvira battle elements to share lead
The Spaniard shared the overnight second-round lead with Shane Lowry at five under, and he overcame an early bogey to add four birdies and card a 68, getting to eight under par on Saturday at Dubai Creek Resort.
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Elvira is seeking his third DP World Tour title after successes at the 2021 Cazoo Open supported by Gareth Bale and 2024 Soudal Open.
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He leads by two from a stacked chasing pack, with South African Dylan Frittelli sharing second place after a sparkling 66 alongside Lowry and Englishman Marcus Armitage, with World Number Two Rory McIlroy a shot further back.
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Armitage helped playing partner Geoff Yang to victory at 17 under par in the 54-hole amateur team event. Sunday will see the professionals only compete for the 2026 Dubai Invitational title.
Player quotes
Nacho Elvira: I’m very pleased. It’s been a couple of tricky days with the wind. Today was blowing maybe a little bit less than yesterday but still, this course when it’s blowing a little bit and you are off the fairway, it’s very difficult to judge and very difficult to hit it close. So I mean, coming down the back nine, I think I played really decent. So I’m pretty happy with it.
I’ve been here long enough to not be too nervous tomorrow, let’s put it that way. I think I’m going to try to enjoy and probably learn from all the experiences that I have in the past and see where that puts me. I’m happy where I’m at.
I think if I started on Tuesday, if you would tell me I would have a two-shot lead, I wouldn’t believe you because my shot was all over the place. So I’m extremely happy.
Some big guys coming up. What can I say? They are great players. I played with Shane (Lowry) today. He’s obviously a level above, like we all know. But I’m going to try to stick to my game and see where that puts me. If that puts me winning, great. If that puts me two behind, then let it be.
