When Tom McKibbin declined to join the PGA Tour and instead bolted to LIV Golf, the up-and-coming pro also threw away what seemed like a more likely pathway to major championships.
Playing on LIV Golf, there’s still no World Ranking points awarded, meaning it’s difficult to climb up high enough in the OWGR to earn major invites. McKibbin instead had to focus on limited starts elsewhere, like this week’s debut on the Asian Tour (where dozens of LIV pros were also in the field).
McKibbin entered the final round leading by one — then he won by seven.
The 22-year-old Northern Irishman cruised to win the Hong Kong Open on Sunday, and thanks to a recent change regarding qualifying criteria it earned him invites into the 2026 Masters and Open Championship.
“Very excited to go back and play my third Open, it will be very, very cool,” McKibbin said. “And to have that drive down Magnolia Lane for the first time ever, it will be even more special. You know, I think sort of historic tournaments like this deserve those spots, and yeah, it’s great to sort of take advantage of those.”
McKibbin shot a final-round 63 (he opened the tournament with a 60 on Thursday) to finish 27 under overall. American Peter Uihlein finished in solo second.
Last year, McKibbin earned his PGA Tour card via his Race to Dubai finish on the DP World Tour, but he elected instead to join LIV — despite what his mentor, Rory McIlroy, advised him.
McKibbin grew up on the same Holywood golf course McIlroy did, and McIlroy has known him since he was 10 or 11 years old. When McKibbin received an offer to play on LIV Golf, he called McIlroy to talk it over.
“We had a really good conversation,” McIlroy said earlier this year. “And I talked to him multiple times over the course of December [2024] to sort of get a feel for, you know, what he was thinking, and obviously what — you know, yeah, basically what he was going to do. And all I could do is give my perspective. … I said to him, ‘If I were in your shoes, I would make a different choice than the one you’re thinking of making.’ I think, you know, working so hard to get your Tour card in the States, something that he did, to achieve that goal last year was a big achievement.”
McKibbin instead joined Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII team. But now he’ll see McIlroy, the defending Masters champ, at Augusta National next year.
“When I was deciding whether to join LIV it was a big factor,” McKibbin said of earning major starts, “but I seemed to back myself, played the best golf I can and see where that leads me. I played two [majors] last year and two next year. If you can play good golf that takes care of it and you can definitely still get in these big tournaments.”
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