MCKIBBIN BEST OF THE IRISH AS REED WINS IN DUBAI
Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin finished as best of the Irish at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, one stroke ahead of Shane Lowry and two in front of Rory McIlroy at the Emirates Golf Club. (Photo: NI Open/Getty)
By Paul Gallagher
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry didn’t have the weeks they wanted at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic where Tom McKibbin closed out as the leading Irishman in a week when LIV raider Patrick Reed finished top of the pile at The Emirates Golf Club.
McKibbin finished in a tie for 19th on four-under after the Galgorm Touring Professional closed with a final round 72 in the Rolex Series event. Lowry (tied 26th) was a stroke further back on three-under, one ahead of McIlroy (tied 33rd).
McIlroy hasn’t made the fast start he might have hoped for in 2026 and also has new equipment in the back that he may be getting used to. The Emirates is typically a happy hunting ground for the world number two who has won the event four times.
At the business end of proceedings, it was American Patrick Reed who came out on top to claim his fourth DP World Tour title with a composed four-shot victory. The LIV golfer remained patient on a testing front nine, carding eight pars and a single bogey to reach the turn with his overnight lead cut in half to two shots.
Spaniard David Puig completed a hat-trick of birdies from the eighth hole to briefly move within one, before Reed rolled in his first birdie of the day at the tenth. The 35-year-old then birdied the 13th as Puig dropped a shot on the same hole, with Reed restoring his four-shot advantage with five holes to play and never looking back.
The 2018 Masters champion parred his way home for a 14 under par total to become the sixth American winner of the Dallah Trophy and securing his first Rolex Series victory at Emirates Golf Club, going one better than his runner up finish in 2023.
American Patrick Reed stuck to the task to win the Hero Dubai Desert Classic (Photo: Getty/DP World Tour)
"It hasn't fully set it in yet. Today was a lot harder than expected, I knew it was going to be. I just couldn't get anything going on the front nine, I think I learned a lot about the round today,” said Reed.
"Instead of keeping my foot on the gas early, I tried to protect that four-shot lead and then David goes and birdied eight and nine and shut it down to two.
"Kess (Kessler Karain, caddie) was like 'it's a dogfight, now let's get going and shoot under par on the back nine and no-one will beat you'. We were able to get that birdie there on 13 to get to one under and he (Puig) gave me a gift there by bogeying, from there on it was hit fairways, hit greens and make no mistakes.
"It was a grind. It was one of those nine holes, I really didn't feel like I hit it that bad. Just couldn't get anything really close, and when I did, maybe over-read a couple putts, but besides that, kind of steady.
"It feels amazing. You know, just kind of one of these things that any time I came to this event, obviously feel like kind of shows how the off-season was, like if the things we were working on were successful and working.
"To be able to come so close in '23, and to have an opportunity today to have a chance to win the golf tournament at the start and see the lead dwindle, it kind of went away; and once I got to the back nine and to be able to play some solid golf on the back to get a very comfortable lead out there for the last couple, it was nice."
Final scores
274 P REED (USA) 69 66 67 72,
278 A SULLIVAN (ENG) 71 65 71 71,
279 J GUERRIER (FRA) 73 72 65 69,
280 N HOJGAARD (DEN) 71 67 72 70, J SCHAPER (RSA) 71 68 71 70, F MOLINARI (ITA) 65 72 71 72,
281 M ARMITAGE (ENG) 71 72 69 69, R GOUVEIA (POR) 72 69 70 70, D PUIG (ESP) 72 68 66 75,
282 D VAN DRIEL (NED) 74 69 70 69, C MAAS (AM) (RSA) 70 71 69 72, M COUVRA (FRA) 70 72 68 72, T OLESEN (DEN) 70 72 67 73,
283 R HOSHINO (JPN) 75 70 69 69, T DETRY (BEL) 73 70 70 70, J VEERMAN (USA) 69 74 69 71, A PAVAN (ITA) 69 68 71 75, V HOVLAND (NOR) 73 69 65 76,
284 R CABRERA BELLO (ESP) 71 71 75 67, A FITZPATRICK (ENG) 75 68 70 71, J KRUYSWIJK (RSA) 72 72 69 71, W DING (CHN) 69 71 72 72, T MCKIBBIN (NIR) 71 70 71 72, H DU PLESSIS (RSA) 71 68 71 74, J CAMPILLO (ESP) 70 73 66 75,
285 S LOWRY (IRL) 70 71 74 70, A HIDALGO (ESP) 72 72 71 70, O LINDELL (FIN) 70 69 75 71, D HILLIER (NZL) 70 72 72 71, A AYORA (ESP) 75 69 69 72, A DEL REY (ESP) 72 71 69 73, Z LOMBARD (RSA) 71 71 69 74,
286 T HATTON (ENG) 70 69 76 71, N VON DELLINGSHAUSEN (GER) 69 74 72 71, R LANGASQUE (FRA) 73 70 71 72, J RITCHIE (RSA) 68 73 72 73, R MCILROY (NIR) 73 69 71 73, E FERGUSON (SCO) 70 71 71 74, S CROCKER (USA) 75 68 69 74, M SCHNEIDER (GER) 71 73 68 74,
287 T FLEETWOOD (ENG) 73 72 73 69, G FORREST (SCO) 70 73 73 71, I CANTERO (ESP) 71 72 71 73, D BRADBURY (ENG) 74 68 69 76,
288 L CANTER (ENG) 73 72 75 68, R NEERGAARD-PETERSEN (DEN) 75 68 74 71, M LINDBERG (SWE) 67 72 76 73, R FOX (NZL) 72 70 69 77,
289 D MICHELUZZI (AUS) 70 72 75 72, E PEPPERELL (ENG) 70 73 74 72, R RAMSAY (SCO) 74 70 73 72, U COUSSAUD (FRA) 74 69 72 74, J GIRRBACH (SUI) 68 77 70 74, F SCHOTT (GER) 71 74 70 74, Y KATSURAGAWA (JPN) 69 75 70 75,
290 M HOLLICK (RSA) 71 74 75 70, J LUITEN (NED) 72 70 76 72, F LACROIX (FRA) 74 69 73 74, A WU (CHN) 71 71 72 76, C JARVIS (RSA) 74 70 70 76,
291 A MERONK (POL) 72 73 74 72, M ELVIRA (ESP) 69 75 74 73, S BAIRSTOW (ENG) 76 69 72 74,
292 V PEREZ (FRA) 74 70 76 72, R FISHER (ENG) 72 72 72 76, D FRITTELLI (RSA) 72 73 71 76,
294 N LEMKE (SWE) 71 70 83 70,
296 J DANTORP (SWE) 73 69 79 75,
297 J KO (FRA) 71 73 73 80,
304 J WINTHER (DEN) 72 73 81 78,
**
146 B SCHMIDT (ENG) 72 74, B ROBINSON THOMPSON (ENG) 76 70, K KOBORI (NZL) 72 74, C HILL (SCO) 73 73, J NIEMANN (CHI) 74 72, D NAIDOO (RSA) 74 72,
147 J DEAN (ENG) 74 73, A ROZNER (FRA) 75 72, C SYME (SCO) 72 75, J SENIOR (ENG) 72 75,
148 N NORGAARD (DEN) 76 72, J GUMBERG (USA) 75 73, D RAVETTO (FRA) 74 74, P LARRAZ?BAL (ESP) 75 73, M SIEM (GER) 72 76, S S?DERBERG (SWE) 75 73, D JOHNSON (USA) 74 74, F LAPORTA (ITA) 77 71, B WIESBERGER (AUT) 74 74, J SCRIVENER (AUS) 71 77, S JAMIESON (SCO) 70 78, R JOHNSTON (USA) 72 76, D GAVINS (ENG) 75 73,
149 A JOHNSTON (ENG) 73 76, F CELLI (ITA) 76 73, P HARRINGTON (IRL) 72 77, P WARING (ENG) 75 74,
150 M JORDAN (ENG) 77 73, J OLESEN (DEN) 77 73, R STERNE (RSA) 74 76, B STONE (RSA) 76 74, T CLEMENTS (ENG) 77 73, J LAGERGREN (SWE) 72 78, J LEE (KOR) 76 74, N ELVIRA (ESP) 73 77, T LAWRENCE (RSA) 76 74, R PARATORE (ITA) 75 75, Y SANDHU (IND) 75 75,
151 M MANASSERO (ITA) 76 75, K APHIBARNRAT (THA) 76 75, E SMYLIE (AUS) 78 73, S SHARMA (IND) 74 77, J MORRISON (ENG) 74 77,
152 E FANG (AM) (USA) 74 78, T VAILLANT (FRA) 72 80, M KINHULT (SWE) 77 75,
153 D FICHARDT (RSA) 76 77, E CHACARRA (ESP) 78 75, A OTAEGUI (UAE) 72 81, S NORRIS (RSA) 80 73, D LAW (SCO) 75 78,
155 G MIGLIOZZI (ITA) 80 75, O STRYDOM (RSA) 78 77,
159 M STEINLECHNER (AUT) 85 74, A SKAIK (UAE) 78 81,
**
OUT D WILLETT (ENG) 76 WD,