Dominant McKibbin wins Hong Kong Open to seal Masters spot / Photo: © AFP
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Dominant McKibbin wins Hong Kong Open to seal Masters spot
Tom McKibbin will play at the Masters for the first time and also qualified for the British Open after breaking records at the Hong Kong Open to win by seven shots on Sunday.
The 22-year-old from Northern Ireland was a model of consistency all week at Fanling, leading from round one to triumph at the prestigious Asian Tour event in dominant fashion.
Belfast-born McKibbin, who won once on the European Tour in 2023 and now plays on the LIV Golf tour, shot an official course-record 60 on the opening day Thursday to ignite his title charge.
In warm and overcast conditions on Sunday, and leading M.J. Maguire by one shot overnight, McKibbin fired a final-round 63 to finish on 27-under 253.
"I dreamt of doing this since I was a young kid, and they come true if you train hard enough," said McKibbin, who broke the tournament's 72-hole low scoring total and matched its biggest margin of victory.
He shot eight birdies in his final round including five in his last nine holes.
McKibbin is a club mate of five-time major winner Rory McIlroy, the current Masters champion.
"It was obviously amazing," McKibbin said after his second victory as a professional.
"I played some of the best golf I have probably ever played. So, yeah, to have that sort of golf and to shoot those scores around here is pretty special."
Peter Uihlein was second at 20 under and his fellow American Maguire was tied third another shot back.
The Hong Kong Open is one of the elevated International Series events on the Asian Tour in 2025 and is bankrolled by the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf.
It is also one of a select number of national opens around the world that were granted status as qualifiers for next year's US Masters at Augusta and the British Open at Royal Birkdale.
C.Kovalenko--BTB