Tommy Fleetwood and Rory Mcilroy set for desert duel in Dubai as Ali Fatourechi seals team triumph

Dubai, UAE – Tommy Fleetwood fired a brilliant bogey-free 63 to set up a mouthwatering final-day duel with Rory McIlroy at the Dubai Invitational. The Englishman started the third round three shots behind his Ryder Cup team-mate but held a three-shot advantage of his own at one point as he made eight birdies to get to 15 under at Dubai Creek Resort. McIlroy is made of stern stuff, however, and he also came home in 32 to sign for a 67 and sit just one shot behind with 18 holes to play.

Dane Thorbjørn Olesen was at 12 under, one clear of South African duo Thriston Lawrence and Zander Lombard and England’s Jordan Smith. Fleetwood has won twice in the United Arab Emirates down the road in Abu Dhabi but is looking for a first win in Dubai and seventh on the DP World Tour. He finished 2023 with a runner-up finish at the the DP World Tour Championship and after flying in from the PGA TOUR season-opener in Hawaii, he takes a lead into the final round of a DP World Tour event for the first time since 2014.

“I felt I played very well, got off to the perfect start and got momentum early on, which I didn’t have yesterday,” he said. “That little patch through the middle of the back nine where you just start seeing putts going in, it’s funny when you get a day like that and you’re just looking at them and you just feel like you can come close. “I hit a couple of really nice putts early on, was rolling the ball well and hit the greens well.

Today they went my way, just a bit of confidence when you start holing some and just get in that rhythm and that flow. ” Ali Fatourechi seals inaugural Dubai Invitational team title The duo were also doing battle in the team event, with Fleetwood’s partner Ali Fatourechi taking the title in the 54-hole competition at 24 under, with tournament host and McIlroy’s partner from Thursday and Saturday Abdulla Al Naboodah finishing on the same total but losing out on final-round score. Entrepreneur Fatourechi was presented with the winner’s trophy during a prize-giving ceremony after the final round, and also scooped a second award for the best team score on Saturday on countback, after carding a ten under par 62.

Darrin Hyman sealed the award for Friday’s best team score on countback, also recording a ten under par 62, while tournament host Al Naboodah received the award for Thursday’s best team score with a 14 under par 58. For media inquiries, please contact: Basma Khalifa Basma. khalifa@dune23.

me About the DP World Tour The DP World Tour is the main men’s professional golf Tour of the European Tour group. Our 2024 global schedule features a minimum of 44 tournaments in 24 different countries across three distinct phases of the season: five ‘Global Swings’ from November 2023 to August 2024; the ‘Back 9’ from September 2024 to October 2024; and the ‘DP World Tour Play-Offs’, comprising two consecutive Rolex Series events in November 2024. Overall, the 2024 season features five Rolex Series events – the premium category of events on the DP World Tour – and four Major Championships, all of which count towards the Race to Dubai Rankings in partnership with Rolex, the Tour’s season-long competition which concludes at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.

DP World, the leading provider of global smart end-to-end supply chain and logistics solutions, has been the title partner of the DP World Tour since the start of the 2022 season, the Tour’s 50th season following its formation in 1972. About the European Tour group The European Tour group is the overarching corporate brand which administers: the DP World Tour, the Challenge Tour, the Legends Tour and the G4D Tour and, along with the PGA of America, is the Managing Partner of golf’s greatest team contest, the Ryder Cup. Established in 1972, the European Tour group is committed to ‘Driving Golf Further’ through our guiding principles of being innovative, inclusive and global.

Innovative: We are driving innovation in golf through the creation of award-winning content, pioneering tournament formats and the use of the latest technology and inventive fan engagement. We are committed to attracting new audiences whilst respecting the tradition of our sport. Inclusive: We are committed to include all who share a love for the game of golf.

We are passionate about a closer collaboration with the women’s game, golf for the disabled and promoting the many physical and mental health benefits of playing golf. Global: Since 1972, players from 38 different countries have won tournaments on our main Tour, while our live broadcast reaches more than 490 million homes in more than 150 countries every week, generating in excess of 2,200 global broadcast hours for each event. We also enjoy the support of many of the world’s leading business brands with DP World, Rolex, BMW, Emirates, Fortinet and Hilton as Official Partners.

The European Tour group has Strategic Alliances with the PGA TOUR, the Sunshine Tour and Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia. Those Strategic Alliances, combined with partnerships with the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO), the Korea Professional Golfers’ Association (KPGA), and the TATA Steel Professional Golf Tour of India, provide global pathways for players from across the world to compete internationally on the DP World Tour, the main men’s professional golf Tour of the European Tour group. We ensure we have a positive long-term impact on the courses, countries and the communities we visit through ‘Golf for Good’, the umbrella name for the European Tour group’s commitment to ‘Driving Golf Further’ in an environmentally and socially sustainable way.

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