While Rory McIlroy is still grinding to get that long-awaited fifth major, his fellow Northern Irishman and mentee, Tom McKibbin, seems peaceful with the idea of never competing in one.
The 22-year-old made a bold move by ditching his hard-earned PGA Tour card and signing with LIV Golf, joining Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII. McKibbin secured a coveted PGA Tour card through his impressive DP World Tour performances. And guess what? He’s completely unbothered by what he’s giving up.
“The opportunity to get to play with guys out here more often and more consistently was definitely a huge factor. But I think I wasn’t in — I’m not in those majors anyway at the minute, so it really didn’t bother me too much,” McKibbin said about missing out on the majors and the Ryder Cup. For McKibbin, this $4.9M worth move wasn’t a last-minute, impulsive one, he’s been keeping an eye on LIV Golf since it launched and he surely liked what he saw. “I’ve watched this for the last couple of years since it started, and it’s something that I’ve really liked to watch, something very different, something that probably appeals to more people my age,” he said.
LIV felt more exciting and more modern. It gave him a chance to tee it up with some of the biggest stars like Bryson DeChambeau, Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, and many more; “I think sort of the opportunity to get to play with these guys here and learn from some of the best players in the world week in, week out is something that appealed very, very nicely to me.”
Now that he has teed off at one event, the LIV season opener in Riyadh, he has more clarity on how he likes the league. “I really liked the music. I think the music was super cool, and then that halftime show standing on the fourth tee watching that was pretty awesome. I think all of us in the group really, really enjoyed that.” Clearly, he’s thrilled, and so is his skipper. Rahm made that very clear after round one of LIV Riyadh.
It’s been amazing to get Tom as an addition. To get such a young player with his experience, already established and a winner as a professional multiple times is hard to come by. I’m thrilled that he decided to join the team or join the Legion.” Adding McKibbin will ensure a more consistent year for Rahm. You see, for the first time, all four scores will count in each round for every team, and the Spaniard believes his team will benefit from the change.
“I like it. I like it. I think it benefits a team like ours. I think we have four really strong players that are really consistent. So, I think it’s better for the league in general for everybody to matter every single day because Sunday is usually really, really fun. At least last year, it was incredibly fun in that regard.” He not only praised him he even shared how easy it was to get him onboard.
“We got very lucky that we were able to sign such a fantastic player at a young age. And if I’m really not mistaken, without a lot of opposition, right? That we were the only team really going after him. So thrilled to have him on the team. I hadn’t really played a lot. I think it shows he wanted to come here. You put him in a very unusual week. You’re in Saudi Arabia under the lights in a golf course that he hadn’t seen and hurt himself already.”
Indeed, Rahm is confident about McKibbin, but there’s one person who definitely isn’t celebrating this move—Rory McIlroy.
McIlroy and McKibbin go way back. Both grew up playing golf at Hollywood Golf Club, and the World No.3 has long been a mentor figure to the young star. So, naturally, when the LIV offer came knocking, McKibbin reached out to McIlroy for advice. And as expected, he wasn’t on board. “As soon as he got the offer, he rang me. We had a really good conversation and I talked to him multiple times over the course of December to get a feel for what he was thinking, and what he was going to do. All I could do is give my perspective.”
McIlroy who is also a LIV critic was quite straightforward with his stance saying, “I really like Tom as a person, as a player. I think he’s got a ton of potential,” McIlroy added. “I said to him, ‘If I were in your shoes, I would make a different choice than the one you’re thinking of making.’” For McIlroy, the biggest frustration seems to be that McKibbin worked so hard to get his PGA Tour card, only to walk away from it.
“I think, you know, working so hard to get your Tour card in the States, something that he did, to achieve that goal last year was a big achievement. But if I were in his position and I had his potential, which I think I have been before, I wouldn’t make that decision. But I’m not him. I’m not in his shoes. He’s a grown man at this point and can make his own decisions. All I can do is try to give him my perspective.”
Still, McIlroy made it clear that while he doesn’t agree, he won’t stand in McKibbin’s way. “It would personally for me it would be a little disappointing if it were to happen but again, I made it perfectly clear: I am not going to stand your way if you need to make the decision you feel like you need to make for yourself. But at the same time, I feel like he’s giving up a lot to not really benefit that much,” McIlroy said.
While not everyone has given him a thumbs up for his decision, at the end of the day, McKibbin is sticking with it. His career, his choice, right? Now, it’s up to him to prove it, and have no regrets later.
