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Tom McKibbin (golfer)

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Tom McKibbin
Personal information
Born (2002-12-19) 19 December 2002 (age 21)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Sporting nationality Northern Ireland
Career
Turned professional2021
Current tour(s)European Tour
Former tour(s)Challenge Tour
Professional wins2
Highest ranking97 (30 June 2024)[1]
(as of 27 October 2024)
Number of wins by tour
European Tour1
Other1
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenT41: 2024
The Open ChampionshipT66: 2024

Tom McKibbin (born 19 December 2002) is a Northern Irish professional golfer who currently plays on the European Tour, where he has won once. He grew up playing golf at Holywood Golf Club, the same home club as Rory McIlroy.[2]

Amateur career

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In January 2020, McKibbin made it to the final of the Australian Amateur at Royal Queensland. However, he was defeated 5 and 3 by Jediah Morgan.[3]

Professional career

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McKibbin turned professional in April 2021 at the age of 18.[4] He originally planned to play at the University of Florida, but his college golf plans were curtailed by the Covid-19 pandemic. He made his professional debut at the Tenerife Open on the European Tour where he missed the cut.[5]

McKibbin won his first professional event in January 2022 on the Minor League Golf Tour in Florida.[6] He spent most of 2022 playing on the Challenge Tour. He was in contention to win at the Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open in February. A final-round 73 saw him miss out and finish tied-for-third.[7] He also finished solo second at the Irish Challenge at the K Club in July.[8] In November, at the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final, McKibbin shot a final-round 66 to finish tied-sixth and lift him to 10th place in the Challenge Tour Rankings, ultimately gaining a card for the 2023 European Tour season.[9]

In February 2023, McKibbin held the 36-hole lead at the Singapore Classic on the European Tour.[10] In June, McKibbin claimed his first win on the European Tour at the Porsche European Open in Germany. He shot a final-round 70 to win by two shots ahead of Julien Guerrier, Maximilian Kieffer and Marcel Siem.[11]

Amateur wins

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  • 2018 Major Champions Invitational

Source:[12]

Professional wins (2)

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European Tour wins (1)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runners-up
1 4 Jun 2023 Porsche European Open −9 (72-69-72-70=283) 2 strokes France Julien Guerrier, Germany Maximilian Kieffer,
Germany Marcel Siem

European Tour playoff record (0–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2024 Italian Open Germany Marcel Siem Lost to birdie on first extra hole

Minor League Golf Tour wins (1)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner-up
1 11 Jan 2022 Major I −12 (66-62=128) 1 stroke United States Eric Cole

Results in major championships

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Tournament 2024
Masters Tournament
PGA Championship
U.S. Open T41
The Open Championship T66
  Did not play

"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Week 26 2024 Ending 30 Jun 2024" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Tom McKibbin: Comparisons to Rory McIlroy 'don't faze' 19-year-old". BBC Sport. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  3. ^ Keogh, Brian (19 January 2020). "McKibbin goes down fighting in Australian Amateur final". Irish Golf Desk. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  4. ^ Croke, Ruaidhrí (25 April 2021). "Northern Irish teenager Tom McKibbin makes leap to pro ranks". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Tom McKibbin's pro debut ends early in Tenerife Open". The Irish Times. 30 April 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  6. ^ "Tom McKibbin: Northern Ireland teenager earns first professional win on minor tour in US". BBC Sport. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  7. ^ "Cape Town Open: Tom McKibbin finishes tied third after final round 73". BBC Sport. 20 February 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  8. ^ Reid, Philip (31 July 2022). "Tom McKibbin runner-up at The K Club as Todd Clements wins Irish Challenge". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  9. ^ "Tom McKibbin earns DP World Tour card in Mallorca". RTÉ. 6 November 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  10. ^ Casey, Phil (10 February 2023). "Tom McKibbin maintains lead in Singapore with superb second round". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  11. ^ "Tom McKibbin wins European Open to claim first DP World Tour title since turning pro". RTÉ. 4 June 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  12. ^ "Tom McKibbin". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  13. ^ "European Boys' Team Championship – European Golf Association". Retrieved 4 April 2020.
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