Tom McKibbin shows PGA Tour what they're missing on LIV debut after ignoring Rory McIlroy advice

Tom McKibbin opted to suffer retired connected a PGA Tour paper to articulation the LIV Golf setup, and the Northern Irishman impressed connected his debut with the breakaway league connected Thursday

Tom McKibbin's vocation with LIV Golf got disconnected to an awesome commencement successful Thursday's opening round astatine Riyadh Golf Club successful Saudi Arabia.

It was each alteration for McKibbin, who was making his archetypal commencement connected the LIV setup whilst playing nighttime golf, with the opening circular of the breakaway league's maiden lawsuit of 2025 taking spot astatine 6:15 p.m. section time. The Northern Irishman settled successful highly rapidly though.

He started his week and LIV play with a superb seven-under-par 65 nether the lights successful Riyadh, to permission him successful a necktie for 3rd alongside Majesticks co-captain Lee Westwood.

McKibbin made 5 birdies and an eagle, and kept a bogey disconnected his paper to permission him 3 down person Adrian Meronk, who sits astatine 10-under aft a blistery commencement of his own. The 22-year-old's showing connected Thursday was each the much important considering the unit surrounding his LIV move.

In signing for the Saudi-backed league and Jon Rahm's Legion XIII, McKibbin was forced to springiness up the PGA Tour paper helium had earned conscionable 2 months earlier astatine the DP World Tour Championship. The PGA Tour confirmed to Mirror Sport past week that his prohibition would travel into play arsenic soon arsenic helium made an quality successful an 'unauthorised event' connected the LIV circuit.

The Northern Irishman holds a beardown narration with chap countryman - and long-time LIV professional - Rory McIlroy, and reached retired to the four-time large champion erstwhile being offered a LIV spot astatine the extremity of past year. McIlroy advised McKibbin against the move, but yet this was not capable to halt him making the switch.

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"I said to him, 'If I were successful your shoes, I would marque a antithetic prime than the 1 you’re reasoning of making'," McIlroy said of the telephone telephone past month. "I think, you know, moving truthful hard to get your Tour paper successful the States, thing that helium did, to execute that extremity past twelvemonth was a large achievement.

“But if I were successful his presumption and I had his potential, which I deliberation I person been before, I wouldn’t marque that decision. But I’m not him. I’m not successful his shoes. He’s a grown antheral astatine this constituent and tin marque his ain decisions. All I tin bash is effort to springiness him my perspective."

Of people McKibbin opted to spell with LIV, and contempt concerns astir him being incapable to present play the 4 large championships, the youngster is blessed with the determination helium made. "It was successful my caput but I wasn’t successful immoderate of those anyway," he said of the majors and Ryder Cup.

The accidental to play with guys retired present much consistently was a immense factor, but I americium not successful the majors anyhow astatine the infinitesimal truthful that didn’t fuss me.”