Rory McIlroy was in control for much of this week's DP World Tour Dubai Invitational. But a strong third round from Tommy Fleetwood gave him the lead going into Sunday.
The drama-filled final round was finally decided on the 72nd hole.
McIlroy erased a three-stroke deficit in the final round and held a one-stroke lead at the 18th tee box.
However, his tee shot caught in the water.
He ended up making bogey on that hole, dropping his tournament total to 18 under. This tied him up with Thurston Lawrence, who was already in the clubhouse.
It was up to Fleetwood. Birdie wins the tournament. If he maintained a tie on the 18th hole, he would be in a three-way playoff, and the day ended with a bogey.
Fleetwood found the fairway off the tee and his approach left him just over 10 feet from winning. Despite facing tough putts from left to right, the Englishman was clutch.
Fleetwood won the Dubai Invitational, beating McIlroy and Lawrence by one stroke.it's his first win It was his second win at the 2022 Nedbank Golf Challenge and his seventh win on the DP World Tour.
“That win feels great. It's been a great week,” Fleetwood said. “Throughout the week, I felt like I was playing better and better. I had a great day yesterday, but today I played with Rory and I'm trying to stay competitive and win the golf tournament. It was a great effort and I was really happy to be back in Dubai at the beginning of this year.”
The two have played together countless times over the years, including last fall as part of the winning Team Europe Ryder Cup team.
They are also close friends. Fleetwood knows that pairing him with McIlroy will help him figure out where his game is going.
“Rory has been a very, very supportive influence on me over the years,” Fleetwood said. “I've seen him do great things in golf tournaments, but today it was my turn.”
After years of watching McIlroy win, Fleetwood finally earned his head-to-head stripes.
“Rory played great on the back nine. He played very aggressive,” said Fleetwood. “He made so many birdies. It was frustrating that he had been leading all day and then suddenly he was one place behind, but he was happy that he had some faith in himself. I am.”
Fleetwood's attitude in the final round was a big reason he wasn't too bothered by McIlroy's surge.
Photo credit: David Cannon/Getty Images
“I think the closer you get to the finish line, the easier it becomes to predict things and tell yourself what you're going to do and what other people are going to do,” Fleetwood said. “There have been many times when I haven’t done enough and someone has had a good finish against me, and today it was my turn to walk through the door.”
This win should give Fleetwood great confidence moving forward this season. He hasn't won on the PGA Tour yet, but he's knocking on the door.
Fleetwood's last shot was in a playoff at the RBC Canadian Open, where he lost to Nick Taylor. He recorded nine top-10 finishes and 13 top-25 finishes in 2023.
Could this victory give Fleetwood what they need to overcome their difficulties in America? His first PGA Tour start will likely be at the WM Phoenix Open in Arizona. He will be in Dubai for next week's Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through.For more golf information, please follow us @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
