Tom McKibbin punched his ticket to both the 2026 Masters and 2026 Open Championship by completing a wire-to-wire victory in the Hong Kong Open on Sunday.
McKibbin carded a 7-under-par 63 in the final round to finish 27-under 253, setting a new tournament record by five shots. The 22-year-old finished seven strokes better than fellow LIV golfer Peter Uihlein, who had a quadruple-bogey 8 on the 14th hole to all but end his chance for a rally.
The victory was the second for McKibbin, who will be allowed to compete at Augusta National after the Masters changed its criteria for qualification this year. He is slated to compete at the Open Championship for the third time.
“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 opted to join LIV Golf despite earning his PGA Tour card via the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai last fall. He was even cautioned against joining the upstart circuit by his friend and fellow Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy.
McKibbin, who is No. 109 in the Official World Golf Ranking, turned professional in 2021 and won the Porsche European Open in 2023.
–Field Level Media
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