Dubai Invitational: Rory McIlroy reflects on ‘good week’ and discusses areas to improve ahead of Hero Dubai Desert Classic | Golf News

Rory McIlroy has identified areas of his game to work on ahead of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, having ‘learned a lot’ during his push for the Dubai Invitational title.

An eventful start to 2026 saw McIlroy birdie four of the last six holes in an opening-round 66 and then bogey four times in a second-round 74, with back-to-back 68s at the weekend leaving him tied for third and two strokes behind Nacho Elvira.

McIlroy entered the final day three shots back and fell six behind when he canceled out a chip-in birdie at the third and two bogeys over his next three holes, then moved up the leaderboard with an impressive run of five birdies in a row starting at the ninth.

A birdie shot lifted McIlroy into the lead and the Northern Irishman stayed in contention for the title until the final hole, with the World No 2 able to take advantage of his incredible fightback.

“I was trying to get the most out of what I had,” McIlroy admitted of his final round, where he combined for six birdies and three bogeys. “I didn’t start well [on Sunday].

“I hit a couple of good shots, a good iron on the eighth hole, a couple of good shots on the ninth and converted that. I hit some shots after that and converted some putts.

“I wasn’t really focused on winning the tournament. I was just trying to put it together and make some good changes and try to hit a few fairways, which I did for the most part. It would have been nice to hit the fairway at the end to give myself a birdie opportunity there.

“Overall, it was a good first week back. I felt like I learned a lot about my game. I wasn’t sharp, but hopefully I’ll be a little sharper going into next week than I was going into this week.”

McIlroy has unveiled a different set of TaylorMade irons and a new golf ball ahead of his 2026 return, debuting his set-up during his appearance at the Crown Australian Open last month.

The Masters champion finished outside the 20-man field of 60 for driving accuracy, greens in control and hitting in Dubai, yet started the calendar year with his 16th top-five finish in 20 years.

McIlroy will now be the pre-tournament favorite for his first win of 2026 at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, 20 years since his first appearance at the event and a tournament where he has won four times.

“I need to hit a few more fairways,” McIlroy said. “I don’t think I’m hitting the club that hard, maybe it’s just a strategy that’s there.

“I’ve been hitting the driver a lot this week, more practice than anything else. Next week at the Emirates, obviously it’s important to get the ball in the fairway and give yourself chances from there.

“I think that was probably controlling the distances, but I felt like I was thinking about that as the week went on. The short game and the putting felt good, which is a really good sign.

“I just need to work on hitting the ball a little bit, and hopefully I’ll be there next week.”

McIlroy claimed his first Hero Dubai Desert Classic title aged 19 in 2009 – his first professional victory – before adding further wins in 2015, 2023 and 2024, with Dame Laura Davies backing him to win the Dallah Trophy for a record-extending fifth time.

“I think that course is built for him – he’s won many times,” Davies said he told Sky Sports. “If Rory doesn’t win, I’ll be very surprised.”

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