By:
Paul Kelly
Shane Lowry is now tied for the lead at the halfway point of the Dubai Invitational after a -3 par second round.
The 2019 Open Championship shot an impressive round of 68 to shoot him into the co-lead on his Dubai Invitational debut.
Shane Lowry Tied For Lead At Dubai Invitational
Shane Lowry carded the joint best round of the day at the 2026 Dubai Invitational, shooting him from T10 into a share of the lead at the halfway point.
The Irishman is making his Dubai Invitational debut this week, and impressed on Friday with a -3 round of 68 to give him the co-lead after 36-holes.
McIlroy and Lowry were paired together for the opening two rounds of play in Dubai, and it was the 2019 Open champion who had the better of Round 2.
Lowy got off to a flyer on Friday, starting with back-to-back birdies before carding two bogies and another birdie before the turn. His back nine was far more consistent, with two birdies and seven pars.
https://twitter.com/SkySportsGolf/status/2012157175658099149
This means the Mullingar-born golfer is sitting pretty going into the weekend on his debut at the Dubai Invitational.
There is still a long way to go and a lot of golf to be played, but there are positive signs for the Offaly man, who landed two major sponsorship deals within a week of getting his 2026 season up and running.
Lowry is sitting in pole position at the halfway point, and will take to the Dubai Creek Resort fairways on Saturday in a two-ball with fellow co-leader Nacho Elvira.
The Spaniard also shot a -3 round of 68 on Friday, with the pair now leading by two shots to Marcus Armitage and David Puig who are both on -3 par after 36-holes.
It was refreshing playing in those conditions today. Fun needing to shape shots and hitting 8 irons 130 yards. @dpworldtour
— Shane Lowry (@ShaneLowryGolf) January 16, 2026
Rory McIlroy Drops To Tied Fifth After Disappointing Round 2
Rory McIlroy led the Dubai Invitational after Round 1 thanks to an impressive -5 par round of 66 on Thursday, but didn’t quite back his strong start up in Round 2 on Friday.
The five-time major champion was once again playing alongside good friend Shane Lowry for their second round at Dubai Creek Resort, enduring a fairly disappointing day on the fairways.
McIlroy dropped three shots in 18 holes on Friday, meaning he has fallen from solo first to tied fifth after a round of 74.
The Northern Irishman extended his lead after a birdie on the third hole, but dropped shots at both the sixth and ninth to close his front nine +1 par.
All the hype around Rory’s new irons… well here’s what they look like. Rest in peace to the Rors Protos. What a run they had. pic.twitter.com/rWEcm4sowj
— Rory McIlroy Tracker (@RMTracker) January 15, 2026
Things went from bad to worse for the career Grand Slam winner on the back nine, where he had a further three bogies, two of which came back-to-back to conclude his round.
There was a two at the par-3 16th for the 36-year-old, who is still within touching distance of the lead at the halfway point in Dubai.
McIlroy changed clubs for the first time since 2017 prior to his campaign opener this week in the UAE, so might still be getting used to his new TaylorMade irons.
There were still positive signs for the reigning Masters champion, who is still only three shots off the lead despite his poor round on Friday.
It’s unlikely that McIlroy plays as badly again on Saturday or Sunday, and is very much still one of the favourites to go on and clinch the Dubai Invitational trophy and reigning supreme in the biennial tournament.
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