Three Irish Golfers Under Par After Dubai Desert Classic Round 2

January 23, 2026

Three of the four Irish golfers in action at the Dubai Desert Classic are under par and in contention heading into the weekend.

Shane Lowry, Tom McKibbin and Rory McIlroy all shot under par rounds on Friday, while Padraig Harrington missed the cut.

Three Irish Golfers In Contention At Dubai Desert Classic At Halfway Stage

The 2026 Dubai Desert Classic is now at the halfway stage, with American Patrick Reed the clubhouse leader on -9 par after the opening two rounds of action at Emirates Golf Club.

Several other big name players such as Francesco Molinari, Nicolai Hojgaard and Tyrrell Hatton are in contention just a few shots behind the former Masters champion.

There was a steady start for Shane Lowry in Round 1 after posting a -2 par round of 70, with the other three Irish golfers in the field a couple of shots behind the Offaly man after their opening 18-holes.

Now we are at the halfway point in Dubai, three of the four Irish golfers in the Dubai Desert Classic have officially made the cut and will feature over the weekend.

Not only that, but all three players who made the halfway cut are in fact under par and in contention heading into the weekend.

That was close, @ShaneLowryGolf 😅#HeroDubaiDesertClassic | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/QrbsecAV7q

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 23, 2026

Lowry still leads the way, sitting six shots behind leader Reed on -3 par after a second round of 71. He is in a tie for 13th place, with Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin on the same score after 36-holes thanks to a -2 par second round on Friday.

Despite shooting his first over-par round in seven starts at the Dubai Desert Classic in Round 1, McIlroy made amends in the second round with a score of 69.

This means the career Grand Slam winner sits on -2 par at the halfway point, just one shot behind Lowry and McKibbin and seven behind Reed.

Although there is work to do for all three Irish golfers featuring over the weekend, they are all more than capable of posting a low number on Saturday, hoping to make a significant jump up the leaderboard on ‘moving day’.

After 36 holes at the Dubai Desert Classic

1: Patrick Reed
5: Nicolai Hojgaard
T6: Tyrrell Hatton
T11: David Puig
T13: Tom McKibbin, Shane Lowry
T20: Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Ryan Fox
T33: Thomas Detry
T60: Tommy Fleetwood,
MC: Joaquin Niemann, Dustin Johnson pic.twitter.com/zp4dJWH3jR

— Underdog Golf (@UnderdogGolf) January 23, 2026

Lowry and McKibbin Lead The Way, Harrington Misses Cut

It was Shane Lowry who carded the best opening round on Thursday of any of the four Irish players in the Dubai Desert Classic field. He followed that up with another under-par round on Friday, meaning he is near the top of the leaderboard in a tie for 13th place at the halfway point.

One man he is on the same score as is Tom McKibbin. The young LIV Golf star shot a round of 70 on Friday at Emirates Golf Club, meaning he is also very much in the mix and closing in on the top of the leaderboard.

Rory McIlroy had a day to forget on Thursday after his +1 par round of 73, but put it right on Friday with a round of 69, meaning he is also in the mix on a score of -2 par after 36-holes.

Rory bounces back from his opening round 73 to move into the top 20 on Friday ✍️#HeroDubaiDesertClassic | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/LZ0cCC6koW

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 23, 2026

McIlroy revealed his biggest ambitions left in golf prior to Round 1 in Dubai earlier this week, but his immediate attention will be on posting another low number on Saturday to put himself in a great position going into Sunday’s final round as he bids to capture a fifth Dubai Desert Classic title.

The only other Irish player in the field was Padraig Harrington, who failed to make the cut. After an opening round of even par on Thursday in the UAE, Harrington struggled on Friday as he shot a round of 77 (+5).

This means there are still three Irish golfers very much in the mix heading into the weekend in Dubai, hoping to get their hands on the trophy after 72-holes come Sunday afternoon.