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.<\/p>\n
Playing on LIV Golf, there\u2019s still no World Ranking points awarded, meaning it\u2019s 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\u2019s debut on the Asian Tour (where dozens of LIV pros were also in the field).<\/p>\n
McKibbin entered the final round leading by one \u2014\u00a0then he won by seven.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery excited to go back and play my third Open, it will be very, very cool,\u201d McKibbin said. \u201cAnd 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\u2019s great to sort of take advantage of those.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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 \u2014\u00a0despite what his mentor, Rory McIlroy, advised him.<\/p>\n