Jon Rahm gets his way as new LIV Golf signing ignores Rory McIlroy's advice

Tom McKibbin has rejected the accidental to instrumentality up his PGA Tour paper this play aft becoming the latest high-profile subordinate to articulation the breakaway LIV Golf league

Tom McKibbin is LIV Golf's latest signing, snubbing the PGA Tour to articulation Jon Rahm's Legion XIII team. The Northern Irishman, mentored by chap Holywood Golf Club subordinate Rory McIlroy, volition marque his debut connected the breakaway circuit adjacent week.

Despite securing his spot connected the PGA circuit done his awesome DP World Tour performances successful 2024, the 22-year-old has decided to join Tyrrell Hatton and Caleb Surratt connected Rahm's four-man team.

Talk of McKibbin's leap to LIV had swirled for respective weeks, with McIlroy going connected the grounds to urge the youngster not to articulation the Saudi Arabia-backed tour. McIlroy revealed astatine the Dubai Desert Classic earlier this period that McKibbin sought his proposal arsenic soon arsenic helium received LIV's offer.

McIlroy said: "I truly similar Tom arsenic a person, arsenic a player. I deliberation he's got a tonne of potential. I said to him: 'If I were successful your shoes, I would marque a antithetic prime than the 1 you're reasoning of making'.

"Personally, for me, it would beryllium a small disappointing if it were to hap but I made it perfectly clear: 'I americium not going to basal successful your mode if you request to marque the determination you consciousness similar you request to marque for yourself.' But astatine the aforesaid time, I consciousness similar he's giving up a batch to not truly payment that much."

McKibbin, who won his sole DP World Tour rubric astatine the Porsche European Open successful 2023, is ranked No. 106 successful the world and was viewed arsenic a acheronian equine for this year's European Ryder Cup team. His determination to LIV, however, volition marque it nigh-on intolerable for him to suffice automatically owed to a deficiency of opportunities to gain qualification points.

McKibbin had declined to sermon the imaginable of moving to LIV earlier it was made authoritative connected Wednesday. However, Rahm praised McKibbin arsenic a "fantastic player", adding: "The possibilities for him are endless whenever helium decides to do."

The LIV Golf play kicks disconnected successful Riyadh connected February 6 earlier heading to Adelaide connected February 14. Trips to Hong Kong and Singapore, earlier the league arrives astatine Trump National Doral successful Florida connected April 4.