Tom McKibbin secured a place at The Masters by winning the Hong Kong Open but the impact for LIV Golf will be far greater than any personal gain.
McKibbin dominated in Fanling to finish at 27 under par, a whopping seven shots clear of his nearest contender.
However, while McKibbin secured spots at both The Open and The Masters by winning out in Asia, his win could have even bigger repercussions for LIV Golf as a whole.
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And for the powers that be at LIV, McKibbin’s victory is exactly what they needed.
LIV Golf’s future looking brighter after Tom McKibbin’s latest win
On a personal level, Tom McKibbin’s win will feel massive for him and it guarantees his place at two of the biggest events of the year.
However, there is a wider picture to acknowledge with McKibbin’s win and it’s a picture that should, in theory, benefit LIV Golf.
Since its inception, the questions over LIV have been around their ability to keep talent onboard as well as attract new players. McKibbin’s arrival was an example of LIV moving to sign a top up and coming young talent but while it was a smart signing, it wasn’t seen as needle moving at the time.
Now, though, with McKibbin getting a big win in Hong Kong, it has demonstrated plenty of benefits to joining LIV.
Not only has McKibbin won a prestigious event on the Asia Tour, he’s also shown to anyone considering joining LIV and having apprehensions about getting into the big events that there is indeed a path.
Sure, not everyone will always win like the Northern Irishman has here but McKibbin has demonstrated perfectly that if you want it, the chances are there.
With LIV looking to keep their top players like Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau in new contract negotiations, it’s also important they continue to sell themselves to up and coming stars as well.
With McKibbin’s win in Hong Kong, LIV have been given the perfect tonic to show anyone interested what can be achieved.
Tom McKibbin’s comments after qualifying for The Masters
Most golfers dream of getting the chance to play at Augusta National and Tom McKibbin will now join that exclusive list of players.
For McKibbin, who is very much still a young man at 22, the chance to experience the Masters at such a young age is going to be a priceless experience.
Indeed, speaking after his win in Hong Kong, McKibbin admitted it was the stuff of dreams.
“I played some of the best golf I’ve ever played, so to shoot those scores around here is pretty special,” he said.
“For a tournament with so much history behind it and great players who have won this tournament, to have the scoring record is pretty special and it’s something that will live with me forever.
“I dreamt of doing this since I was a young kid, and they come true if you train hard enough. I’m very excited to go back and play in my third Open and to have that drive down Magnolia Lane (at Augusta) for the first time will be even more special,” he added.
“Historic tournaments like this deserve those spots, so it’s great to take advantage of those.”
With six months to prepare, McKibbin will be hoping to impress when he does play at Augusta and with Rory McIlroy being the current champion, it would be some fairy tale if he we was to win out and have Rory present him the green jacket.
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