Tom McKibbin (golfer)
| Tom McKibbin | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | 19 December 2002 Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Sporting nationality |  Northern Ireland |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 2021 |
| Current tour(s) | PGA Tour European Tour |
| Former tour(s) | Challenge Tour |
| Professional wins | 2 |
| Highest ranking | 97 (30 June 2024)[1] (as of 24 November 2024) |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 1 |
| Other | 1 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP |
| U.S. Open | T41: 2024 |
| The Open Championship | T66: 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 Greenisland Golf Club, Greenacres Golf Club and Holywood Golf Club, the same home club as Rory McIlroy.[2]
Amateur career
[edit]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
[edit]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]
In June 2024, McKibbin shot a final-round 65 to tie the lead at the Italian Open with Marcel Siem. He was defeated on the first extra hole.[12] McKibbin finished the 2024 European Tour season 18th place on the Race to Dubai, which was good enough to earn the last of the 10 available PGA Tour card for 2025.[13]
Amateur wins
[edit]- 2018 Major Champions Invitational
Source:[14]
Professional wins (2)
[edit]European Tour wins (1)
[edit]| 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 |  Julien Guerrier,  Maximilian Kieffer, Marcel Siem
|
European Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2024 | Italian Open | Marcel Siem
|
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
Minor League Golf Tour wins (1)
[edit]| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 Jan 2022 | Major I | −12 (66-62=128) | 1 stroke |  Eric Cole
|
Results in major championships
[edit]| Tournament | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |
| PGA Championship | |
| U.S. Open | T41 |
| The Open Championship | T66 |
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Team appearances
[edit]- European Boys' Team Championship (representing Ireland): 2018, 2019[15]
- Jacques Léglise Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2018 (winners), 2019
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Week 26 2024 Ending 30 Jun 2024" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ "Tom McKibbin: Comparisons to Rory McIlroy 'don't faze' 19-year-old". BBC Sport. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ Keogh, Brian (19 January 2020). "McKibbin goes down fighting in Australian Amateur final". Irish Golf Desk. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ Croke, Ruaidhrí (25 April 2021). "Northern Irish teenager Tom McKibbin makes leap to pro ranks". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ "Tom McKibbin's pro debut ends early in Tenerife Open". The Irish Times. 30 April 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ "Tom McKibbin: Northern Ireland teenager earns first professional win on minor tour in US". BBC Sport. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ "Cape Town Open: Tom McKibbin finishes tied third after final round 73". BBC Sport. 20 February 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Tom McKibbin earns DP World Tour card in Mallorca". RTÉ. 6 November 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ Casey, Phil (10 February 2023). "Tom McKibbin maintains lead in Singapore with superb second round". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ "Tom McKibbin wins European Open to claim first DP World Tour title since turning pro". RTÉ. 4 June 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ Reid, Philip (30 June 2024). "Marcel Siem defeats Tom McKibbin in playoff to win Italian Open". The Irish Times. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ Keogh, Brian (17 November 2024). "Tom McKibbin looking forward to joining fellow Holywood star Rory McIlroy in America after claiming PGA Tour card". Irish Independent. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
- ^ "Tom McKibbin". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ "European Boys' Team Championship – European Golf Association". Retrieved 4 April 2020.
External links
[edit]- Tom McKibbin at the European Tour official site
- Tom McKibbin at the Official World Golf Ranking official site