When Tom McKibbin declined to play on the PGA Tour and instead went to LIV Golf, the rising professional also threw away the path to major championships.
Playing on LIV Golf still doesn’t award World Ranking points, meaning it’s difficult to climb high enough in the OWGR to earn major invites. McKibbin was instead forced to focus on limited starts elsewhere, such as this week’s debut on the Asian Tour (which also featured dozens of LIV pros in the field).
McKibbin entered the final round with a lead of one before winning by one seven.
The 22-year-old Northern Irishman set out to win the Hong Kong Open on Sunday, and thanks to a recent change to the qualifying criteria, it earned him invitations to the 2026 Masters and Open Championship.
“I’m really excited to go back and play my third Open, it will be really cool,” said McKibbin. “And to drive through Magnolia Lane for the first time ever, it’ll be even more special. You know, I think historic tournaments like this deserve those spots, and yeah, it’s great to benefit from that a little bit.”
McKibbin shot a 63 in the final round (he opened the tournament Thursday with a 60) and finished 27 under the overall rankings. American Peter Uihlein finished second solo.
Last year, McKibbin earned his PGA Tour card through his Race to Dubai finish on the DP World Tour, but he chose to join LIV – despite what his mentor, Rory McIlroy, advised him.
McKibbin grew up on the same Holywood golf course as McIlroy, and McIlroy has known him since he was 10 or 11 years old. When McKibbin received an offer to play at LIV Golf, he called McIlroy to talk about it.
“We had a very good conversation,” McIlroy said earlier this year. “And I spoke to him several times over the course of December [2024] to get an idea of what he was thinking, and of course what – you know, yeah, basically what he was going to do. And all I could do was give my perspective. … I told him, ‘If I were in your shoes, I would make a different choice than the one you are considering making.’ I think it was a great achievement to work so hard to get your Tour card in the United States, something he did last year, to achieve that goal.
McKibbin instead joined Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII team. But now he sees McIlroy, the defending Masters champion, at Augusta National next year.
“When I was deciding whether to join LIV, that was a big factor,” McKibbin said of getting big starts, “but I seemed to back myself, play the best golf I could and look where that leads me. I played two. [majors] last year and two next year. If you can play good golf, you can certainly still participate in these major tournaments.”
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