Shock link as Irish golf star rumoured to be joining Jon Rahm's LIV team

Rory McIlroy's protégé Tom McKibbin has been heavily linked with a move to LIV Golf despite earning a PGA Tour for the new season

By: irishmirror.ie

Jan 07 2025
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Shock link as Irish golf star

Tom McKibbin is reported to be a shock mover to LIV Golf.

McKibbin, 22, hails from the same golf club - Holywood GC - as Rory McIlroy and he was overjoyed to secure one of the 10 PGA Tour cards available on the DP World Tour at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship on November 17.

McIlroy celebrated with him at the time but McKibbin could be set to follow in another fellow Northern Irishman's footsteps instead, after Graeme McDowell controversially joined the Saudi-funded tour in 2022.

Respected Spanish website TenGolf.com claims that McKibbin has been lined up to join Jon Rahm's Legion XIII team as a replacement for Zimbabwe's Kieran Vincent, who was relegated at the end of last season. His team-mates would be Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Caleb Surratt.

The Newtownabbey star, who turned pro in 2021 and won his first DP World Tour event in June of last year at the Porsche European Open, is playing in the Team Cup event in Abu Dhabi this week and due to participate in the DP World Tour's Dubai Desert Classic next week.

However he could be poised to head to Riyadh instead for the start of the LIV season in Saudi Arabia on February 6, despite admitting it was a dream come true when he earned his PGA Tour card in November.

Rory McIlroy congratulated Tom McKibbin (Image: Sky Sports)

"It would be great to be over there on the PGA Tour, a tour I've watched for a long time, and it will be great over there and play some golf,” said McKibbin.

“Seems like I like to play on some of the harder courses and that suits my game a little more, so it will be exciting to get over there and see how it goes.

"I think it was a tough one, sort of wanting to finish the tournament as best I can, knowing that was on the line, a hard golf course and pretty tricky day. Especially 17, 18, I feel like you don’t have to hit too poor of a shot to find the water and likely I hit pretty good ones.”

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