The Punter's De-brief: In-play drama aplenty at both events

• Rory, Keegan and An lose after trading at longs odds-on

• Read my Dubai Desert Classic preview here

• Read my American Express preview here

All British affair in Dubai

Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood were the headline attractions at the inaugural edition of the Dubai Invitational, and they didn't disappoint.

Rory started the week with an immaculate nine-under-par 62 around the Dubai Creek Resort Course and leading by two he was trading at around 1.75/7, having been a 10/34.33 chance before the off.

Having been matched at just 1.282/7 when two-under-par after four holes in round two, Rory looked to be cruising but the tournament was turned on its head when he found water twice on the par three eighth hole to record a quadruple-bogey seven!

To his credit, the world number two recovered his composure well after that and he maintained his two-stroke advantage and his commanding position at the head of the market heading into the weekend.

A four-under-par 67 on Saturday by McIlroy was a decent enough score after a slow start but the pre-event 12.011/1 second favourite, Tommy Fleetwood, was the man that got his skates on on Moving Day and after an eight-under-par 63, the Englishman led by a stroke with a round to go.

The pair dominated the market prior to the final round with Rory trading at around 11/82.38 and Fleetwood 6/42.50, and the pair were still separated by a solitary stroke after they'd played the first five holes on Sunday in two-under-par.

Rory bogeyed six and when Fleetwood birdied the par five 10^th to lead by two over Zander Lombard, who was matched at a low of 3.8514/5, and by three over Rory and Thriston Lawrence, his priced dipped to just 1.351/3. Rory drifted all the way out to 8.27/1.

The pre-event favourite looked in trouble, but he responded magnificently with birdies at 11, 12 and 13 and when he stiffed his tee-shot on the par three 14^th to just two feet he was back trading at odds-on.

It looked almost inevitable that Rory was going to go one clear of Fleetwood and two clear of the charging Lawrence but instead of hitting the front, he three-putted from two feet and Fleetwood was back in front on his own again!

A three putt from two feet for Rory.@TommyFleetwood1 takes the solo lead.#DubaiInvitational pic.twitter.com/hnkgCMpp18

-- DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 14, 2024

Yet again, Rory rallied with a birdie at the very next hole, just moments before Lawrence, who was matched at a low of 2.466/4, birdied the 17th to make it a three-way tie at the top.

Fleetwood then bogeyed the 16^th hole and when Rory hit his approach shot to five feet on the 17^th to go two clear of Fleetwood and one in front of Lawrance, Rory hit a low of 1.21/5 and remarkably, Fleetwood hit a high of 60.059/1!

Rory did hole his birdie putt at 17 but only after Fleetwood had rolled in a birdie putt of his own from 31 feet.

Rory was odds-on heading to the 18^th tee with a one stroke lead over Fleetwood and Lawrence, but it was all change again after an awful hooked drive found the water left of the fairway on the 72^nd hole of the tournament.

After taking the drop, finding the green with his third, and missing his par save, we looked all set for a three-man playoff but having looked like a lost cause just a few minutes earlier, Fleetwood put the event to bed with this fabulous birdie three.

Birdie-birdie finish.@TommyFleetwood1 wins in Dubai! #DubaiInvitational pic.twitter.com/pVB4zVhJVE

-- DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 14, 2024

Sony Open Drama

On a day of little wind and a plethora of low scores, we witnessed plenty of drama in the final round of the Sony Open, with the event eventually going to a three-man playoff that didn't include the contender that looked most likely to win deep into the back-nine...

As highlighted in the In-Play blog, I thought the 2013 winner, pre-event 60.059/1 chance, Russell Henley, was worth chancing from off the pace at 70.069/1 with a round to go and he didn't disappoint.

After a five-under-par 30 on the front-nine and three birdies in-a-row from the 11^th, Henley hit a low of 1.728/11 when he gave himself a 13-footer for yet another birdie at the 14^th hole which would have given him a two-stroke lead but it wasn't to be.

The birdie putt slipped by and after a par on 15 he missed a four-foot par save on 16.

Pars at the last two holes for Henley were never going to be enough and after Keegan Bradley, who was matched at a low of 1.42/5 in regulation play when he birdied the 15^th hole to hit the front, failed to birdie the par five 18^th, we were into extra time.

Playoff drama at Waialae

Byeong Hun An and Grayson Murray had both birdied the 72^nd hole to get to 17-under-par but it was the first time all week that Bradley had failed to birdie or eagle either on the two long holes (nine and 18).

Bradley and An both hit great drives on the first playoff hole (the par five 18^th) but pre-event 1000.0999/1 chance Murray, who had been tied for the lead with Bradley with 18 to play, saw his price spike to above 20.019/1 when he hit a stinker off the tee that clipped the trees and forced him to lay up.

Bradley went odds-on again after Murray had laid up and An's second shot had found the rough just short of the green, the experienced Bradley, who was in search of his third PGA Tour win in his last 25 starts, hit a terrible shot that found the hospitality tent left of the green.

Murray's third shot found the green but from nearly 40 feet away, a birdie looked highly unlikely and when An chipped his third to within four feet, and Bradley could get no closer than 17 feet away after his third, the Korean was matched at a low of 1.422/5.

Victory for Murray still looked extremely unlikely but after this bomb for a birdie four, both Bradley and An failed to make their birdie attempts and the 30-year-old had claimed his second PGA Tour title, more than seven years after his first victory, at the Barbasol Championship back in 2017.

Grayson Murray's winning moment @SonyOpenHawaii is unreal pic.twitter.com/mXWlIaU3Dr

-- PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 15, 2024

It was impossible not to feel sorry for An, who yet again missed far too many short putts to claim his first PGA Tour title but it Murray deserves plenty of credit.

Inspired by last week's winner, Chris Kirk, who was in-contention here until he ran out of steam on Sunday, like Kirk, Murray is also battling back after suffering bouts of depression and issues with alcoholism.

Murray's victory went against the trends at Waialae given he hadn't teed it up at The Sentry and he hadn't played since November. Had any of the three men to go odds-on won, it would have been yet another edition at which a Sentry starter had gone on to win.

An, who was generally a 44.043/1 chance before the off had finished fourth at Kapalua, Bradley had finished 45^th and Henley 52^nd so a high finish there isn't imperative.

Now read my American Express preview here!

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