Rory McIlroy was thrilled to see his patience rewarded at the Dubai Invitational after his three-under-par 68 kept him in contention for the title heading into the final round. 

McIlroy led after 18 holes at Dubai Creek Resort, but a second-round 74 saw him sit three adrift of overnight leaders Shane Lowry and Nacho Elvira.

The Northern Irishman opened his third round with a birdie but dropped a shot at the fourth before three birdies on the back nine saw him finish three shots behind Elvira.

At eight under, Elvira leads by two shots, with Dylan Frittelli sharing second place alongside Lowry and Marcus Armitage.

"A little bit better than yesterday, kept the ball dry instead of the four water balls I had [in the second round]," McIlroy said of his chances of challenging for the title. 

"It was a tricky enough day, the wind was up again, maybe not as much as Friday.

"I got off to a slow start but stayed patient and hung in there and was rewarded with three birdies on the back nine.

"It's great to go into the final round in contention, with a chance to win a tournament."

How it stands with 18 holes to play at Dubai Creek #DubaiInvitiational pic.twitter.com/AvJ6JLQxhb

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 17, 2026

McIlroy has made a habit of starting his campaign strongly since turning professional 20 years ago.

Indeed, he has managed one win, six runner-up finishes and 15 top-five finishes in his first event of a DP World Tour season. 

"I think the enthusiasm to start a new year and start fresh [is the reason behind those early results]," McIlroy replied when told about the statistic. 

"I've always loved coming out here to the Middle East and Dubai, and playing in these tournaments.

"Even as an amateur, I played a couple of Dubai Desert Classics as well, so I've been coming out here for over 20 years.

"It's a place where I'm comfortable, made a lot of friends here along the way, and I'm always excited to start my year in Dubai."

Elvira, meanwhile, is seeking his third DP World Tour title after successes at the 2021 Cazoo Open and 2024 Soudal Open.

"I'm very pleased. It's been a tricky couple of days with the wind. I'm pretty happy with it," Elvira said.

"I've been here long enough to not be too nervous tomorrow in a way.

"I'm going to try and enjoy, and learn from the experiences in the past and see what happens. I'm extremely happy."