Shane Lowry limbers up in Dubai, but all roads lead to Augusta

The real business of golf gets under way for Shane Lowry this week when – along with Rory McIlroy, Tom McKibbin and Pádraig Harrington – he forms part of a quartet of Irish players competing in the Dubai Invitational at the Dubai Creek Golf Club in the UAE.

Lowry is playing back-to-back weeks in the Emirate, as he is also entered into next week’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic. He will then shift his attention across the Atlantic to the PGA Tour and a run of events, with the aim of being in top form for the Masters at Augusta in April.

Without a win since the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in 2024 (when he partnered McIlory), Lowry said of his aims for the upcoming season: “I want to compete and contend in the majors and put myself in position when the points list starts for the Ryder Cup (at Adare Manor).

“Obviously, first and foremost, Augusta isn’t that far away, so there’s a lot of work to do between now and April. I just want to work hard on myself every day and prepare properly.”

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Allowing himself to dream for a moment about what might lie ahead this year, he added: “It would be pretty cool if I could see Rory putting that green jacket on me. That’s my vision for the next few months.”

Lowry has a new Srixon driver in his bag for the new season and also new sponsorship deals. Most recently, he became the newest brand ambassador for RBC, which has led to the ending of a long-time deal with Bank of Ireland. Lowry joins Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners and Sam Burns, among others, as brand ambassadors for the Canadian bank, which sponsors a number of tournaments on the PGA Tour.

For now, Lowry will look to kickstart his season in the UAE in the Dubai Invitational on Thursday. The tournament is limited to a field of 60 professionals (with a pro-am element for the first three days).

New Ladies European Tour boss aims to expand global reach

Tom Phillips indicated he would build on the work of former Ladies European Tour CEO Alexandra Armas. File photograph: Warren Little/Getty Images

There will be new leadership at the top of the Ladies European Tour come April. English businessman Tom Phillips will succeed Alexandra Armas, who had two stints as CEO. During Armas’s time at the helm, the tour expanded to 30 tournaments with a doubling of the prize funds.

Phillips is the current director of Middle East for the DP World Tour. He previously spent 15 years as CEO of the Faldo Series and was also CEO of the Hong Kong Golf Association.

“The Ladies European Tour has a proud history and an exciting future,” said Phillips. “I’m honoured to take on this role and look forward to working with the board, the team and the players to continue strengthening the tour, expanding its global reach and creating even more opportunities for women in the game.”

Word of Mouth

“It means a lot to me because three years ago, doctors told me that I potentially had two weeks to live” – Anthony Kim on earning a card for the upcoming season on LIV golf at the promotions tournament, where he finished third behind Canadian Richard T Lee and Sweden’s Bjorn Hellgren. Kim, a former USA Ryder Cup player and winner of three tournaments on the PGA Tour, is three years sober after overcoming alcohol and drug addiction.

By the Numbers: 4+1

There is a quartet of Irish players in the field for the Dubai Invitational on the DP World Tour this week: Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Tom McKibbin and Pádraig Harrington. Séamus Power is the lone Irishman in the field for the Sony Open on the PGA Tour. The Waterford man earned his place in the field thanks to a top-10 finish in the RSM Classic last November, which closed out the US circuit last year.

On this day: January 13, 1991

Phil Mickelson, then a 20-year-old college student at Arizona State, performed the rare feat of winning as an amateur on the PGA Tour when he won the Northern Telecom Open in Tucson. It would prove to be the first of 45 career wins on the circuit.

Phil Mickelson announced himself on the scene 35 years ago with his first PGA Tour victory while still an amateur. Photograph: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

He was already touted as one to watch having won the US Amateur title in 1990, the first left-hander to do so. Mickelson’s first win on the PGA Tour – he completed his psychology degree before turning pro in 1992 – came in dramatic fashion as he overcame a snowman (posting an eight on the 14th in the final round) to emerge victorious in the desert.

Mickelson’s closing 71 for a 16-under-par total of 272 gave him a one stroke winning margin over veterans Tom Purtzer and Bob Tway.

As an amateur, Mickelson couldn’t accept the $180,000 winner’s cheque (Tway and Purtzer split the first- and second-place prize money, each pocketing $144,000).

“I went from having the biggest knot in my stomach to the greatest joy in a half-hour,” remarked Mickelson after the win, referring to his triple-bogey eight before finishing strongly for the victory.

Social Swing

I was meant to start my season in Hawaii but unfortunately I had to WD due to a viral illness I’ve been fighting since Dubai, back in November. Frustrating to put a delay on my start but I’m close to being fully fit again, and ill be back out there soon – Marco Penge having to delay his first season on the PGA Tour due to illness, having secured his card on the US circuit for finishing second on last year’s DP World Tour order of merit.

Thank u GOD, my family, close friends & every1 that continue2 support me🙏
2 the keyboard warriors SUCK IT😂
— Anthony Kim (@AnthonyKim_Golf) January 11, 2026

Thank u GOD, my family, close friends & every1 that continues 2 support me….2 the keyboard warriors SUCK IT – Anthony Kim on earning a LIV wild card tour card for the upcoming season at the promotions tournament. Max Kennedy, the sole Irish player in the LIV field, completed all four rounds but finished in tied-21^st( from an initial field of 78 players), with just the top three earning their LIV cards.

AK gets his life back and now his golf game is back. He’s on LIV Golf for 2026. Congratulations! Truly inspirational – Phil Mickelson tips the cap to Kim, who has overcome past addiction issues.

Know the Rules

Q In match play, a player marks the position of their ball on the putting green, lifts the ball and sets it aside. By mistake, they putt the ball from the spot where it was aside. What is the ruling?

A The player loses the hole. The ball was lifted and set aside without the intent for it to be put back in play. When the player made a stroke at the ball which was out of play, they played a wrong ball and the penalty in match play is loss of hole. Such a situation is covered under Clarification 14.1/1 and Rule 6.3c.