Rory McIlroy shot a five-under-par 66 to take the first-round lead at the Dubai Invitational, his first competitive round of 2026 with new cavity-back irons. The Masters champion switched from blade irons to the more forgiving cavity-back design, a change he had been considering for some time.
“If there is help to be had I’ll definitely take it,” McIlroy told Sky Sports. He explained that mis-strikes with his previous five-iron had led him to request a new set from TaylorMade. He also introduced a new golf ball this week, saying he felt “everything was pretty good” after testing the equipment at home.
McIlroy started from the 10th and reached the turn in 31, with seven birdies in a 10-hole stretch. He narrowly missed an eagle but hit approaches inside 11 feet on five par-fours. His only bogeys came from a missed short putt at the 12th and a failure to escape a greenside bunker on the third.
“I got off to a great start, played a very good first nine and then the wind got up a little bit,” McIlroy added. “I made a silly bogey on three and didn’t capitalise on the par five after that, so I felt I left a few out there.”
Play was paused to remember 16-year-old golfer Emanuele Galeppini, who died in a fire in Crans Montana, Switzerland, along with 39 others. Scotland’s Connor Syme and Spain’s David Puig are one shot behind McIlroy, while England’s Matt Wallace is in a group on three under.
