Dubai Invitational: Shane Lowry leads as Rory McIlroy finds the water four times

After hitting seven birdies in an opening 66 on Thursday, McIlroy cemented his place at the top of the leaderboard with a birdie in the fourth third.

But the Masters champion stuck his iron in the water with a shot at the sixth before dropping another shot at the ninth.

As he looked to salvage par on the long 13th, McIlroy incurred another penalty putt on the short 14th before bouncing back with a birdie on the 16th by dropping a 45-foot putt for birdie.

Another wayward shot into the water on the 17th led to bogey and the 36-year-old finished with another shot after failing to get up and down off the side of a rock to the right of the green.

Playing with Ryder Cup teammate McIlroy, Lowry mixed in three birdies and two bogeys on the front nine, but picked up putts on the 10th and 16th to sit alongside two-time DP World Tour winner Elvira.

“I enjoy it very much, the skill of moving the ball and hitting the different shots,” Lowry told Sky Sports.

“We had a great group today. When you’re out there having a little fun, it’s easier to play good golf, so that’s a situation for the rest of the year and I’ll be very good.”

It was a difficult Friday for Fleetwood, as the Englishman failed to make a birdie or eagle on tour for the first time since the US PGA Championship last May.

England’s Marcus Armitage has 70 points and is two shots off the lead, while South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence – who is second in 2024 – is alongside McIlroy, two shots short of that.