All eyes have been on Tom McKibbin at LIV Riyadh this week and Tyrrell Hatton has now given his honest verdict on the youngster after seeing him up close and personal.
McKibbin was one of the big name signings for LIV in the off-season as Jon Rahm snapped him up to be part of his Legion XIII team on the LIV tour.
McKibbin ignored advice from Rory McIlroy to sign with LIV and in his opening two rounds in Saudi Arabia, he has shown why he was brought in.
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An opening round of seven under was followed by a three under second round and while he’s six back of leader Adrian Meronk, he’s firmly in the top ten.
Of course, one of McKibbin’s new teammates is Tyrrell Hatton, who himself played brilliantly to put himself into contention as well.
And now, Hatton has given his first impressions of McKibbin’s opening two rounds.
Tyrrell Hatton gives honest verdict on Tom McKibbin’s LIV Golf debut
Speaking to the media after firing a five under to go into a tie for fourth in Riyadh, Hatton was asked about his impression of new teammate McKibbin.
And according to Hatton, the Northern Irishman has it all in his game to be a massive success.
“Yeah, he’s a fantastic player, and to be honest, he doesn’t really look like he has any weaknesses. He drives the ball great, hits it a long way, looks very good with the wedges and rolls it nicely,” Hatton said.
“When you’re consistent across all aspects of the game, you’re going to be there or thereabouts. Yeah, he’s a fantastic player. Like I said earlier, I think we all expect him to do pretty well out here.
“It’ll take a little bit of time for him to get used to it with the warm-up situation on the range and finding a rhythm and being ready to go straight away when you get on the golf course, but so far he’s dealt with that really well. I’m sure he’ll go out tomorrow and put another good round of golf together.”
Why Tom McKibbin was so impressed with LIV Golf on his debut in Riyadh
LIV Golf might not be for everyone in the world but it certainly has its place in the sport now and for the younger player and audience, it definitely appeals in different ways to the PGA Tour.
Indeed, McKibbin is one of those young players and after making his debut on Thursday, McKibbin admitted he loved the music being played at LIV.
“I really liked the music. I think the music was super cool, and then that halftime show standing on the 4th tee watching that was pretty awesome. I think all of us in the group really, really enjoyed that,” McKibbin said.
With the final round to come, Legion XIII are in a good position to win the team title and while Meronk might be too far in front to catch to win the individual crown, McKibbin can be very happy with his debut.
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