– Nacho Elvira (-2) had very few complaints about his round of 69 today in the first round of the Dubai Invitational. He wasn’t even willing to dwell on the out-of-bounds ball on the 17th hole with the resulting double bogey. Considering how his game was on Monday and Tuesday, his result can almost be considered miraculous.
The truth is that the Cantabrian doesn’t hide and always speaks frankly. He’s not a man of excuses or stories. That’s why it was easy for him to admit, right after finishing his round this Thursday, that these haven’t been the most ‘hard-working’ Christmas holidays of his life. “I haven’t done much, to be honest. I’ve kept up with the gym, but not much golf. Lots of family stuff and I’ve disconnected a bit. I arrived on Monday not really knowing what to expect…”, he admitted to Ten Golf shortly after signing his more than decent card of 69 strokes that places him within the top 10, alongside Pablo Larrazábal and Eugenio Chacarra.
What happened on Monday was more or less expected. The concept of being rusty is an understatement. David Morago, his caddie, and he looked each other in the eyes and practically said at the same time: “partner, it’s time to roll up our sleeves”. The swing needed to be fixed in record time. There are no mysteries here, and Nacho didn’t dodge a single challenge… Quite the opposite. Balls, balls, and more balls.
Obviously, Nacho hasn’t counted all the balls he’s hit in three days on the practice range, but it’s not less than a thousand. “On Monday, there were surely more than 300, on Tuesday I could easily have hit 500, and on Wednesday, let’s say another 300-400,” he recounts. Not even Ben Hogan. Not even Vijay Singh.
The photo accompanying this grass-level report is of his hand after Tuesday’s session. That was rock bottom. He went out to play 18 holes with Larrazábal, Ayora, and Hidalgo, and things didn’t go well for him. In fact, Gonzalo Vicente, Hidalgo’s caddie, approached him, they did the math, and he wasn’t far off 90 strokes. He appeared on the practice range after lunch and didn’t leave until he was kicked out. Literally. It was almost night, and he was completely alone. Just like Bryson DeChambeau.
It must be said that the intensive session has worked. Nacho felt reasonably comfortable. “Some bad, bad shots had to come out, like the one on 17, but overall it was very good. Let’s see what happens tomorrow,” he notes. So, there’s no excess of marzipan and nougat that a thousand balls can’t cure…
– Rory McIlroy debuted a new ball today at the Dubai Invitational. It’s the new TaylorMade model, and he had never used it in competition. He also has new irons from Australia. “I felt that when I didn’t hit the 5-iron well, instead of losing 5-7 yards, I lost 10-15. That’s why I asked for a new set, and I feel much more comfortable. They were already working at home, and today they’ve proven themselves in competition, both the clubs and the ball. I played very well on the first nine holes, and the next ones were more difficult because of the wind.” Surely you, dear reader, thought the same as I did about Rory’s sensitivity to notice that difference with the 5-iron… Well, you should know that sometimes, less so for us bad amateurs, it’s also the club’s fault.
– Richard Mansell left everyone shocked when he withdrew from the tournament on the 18th tee, finishing his round. He made a wrong move with his left foot and injured his ankle. Serious injury. The doctor attended to him quickly and told him he couldn’t continue… and we’ll see about next week. It was genuine bad luck, with a curb. The Englishman withdrew in tears in a buggy. What a way to start the year.
– You may have noticed that Tommy Fleetwood isn’t wearing Nike clothing at the start of 2026. The reason is that he’s negotiating a renewal and hasn’t reached an agreement yet. Fleetwood believes he deserves a considerable raise as the World Number 3 and FedEx Cup winner, but Nike looks at the world ranking and says: “yes, but the top two, Scheffler and McIlroy, are also mine…”. It’s expected that he’ll soon appear with a new brand that should be the reference.
– Pablo Larrazábal had to undergo antidoping after finishing the first round. Nobody likes it when you’re eager to go home, but rules are rules, and they must be followed. However, Pablo has a valid complaint: “if you’re going to test me, at least let me know six or seven holes in advance, so I can drink and, above all, not go to the bathroom just before finishing.” Of course, that’s what happened, and he had no choice but to drink a lot and wait…
