McKibbin qualifies for Masters with Hong Kong win
McKibbin won the Hong Kong Open by seven shots
- Published
Hong Kong Open final leaderboard
-27 T McKibbin (NI); -20 P Uihlein (US); -19 T Ikemura (Jpn), L Oosthuizen (SA), MJ Maguire (US); -18 D Wenyi (Cn), M Jones (Aus), S Hend (Aus)
Selected others: -12 P Reed (US); -9 T Gooch (US); -8 S Horsfield (Eng); -7 P Casey (Eng).
Tom McKibbin claimed victory at the Hong Kong Open on Sunday to qualify for the Masters for the first time and secure his place for The Open.
Leading from round one, the 22-year-old Holywood golfer was consistent throughout as he triumphed in the prestigious Asian Tour event at Fanling.
McKibbin, who plays on the LIV Golf Tour and had a past win on the European Tour in 2023, began his challenge in superb fashion by shooting an official course record 60 on Thursday which set the tone for his week
He maintained his lead going into Sunday's final round by one shot on MJ Maguire, shooting a final-round 63 to finish on 27 under par in warm and overcast conditions, which included eight birdies with five on the back nine.
"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 excited to play in my first Masters'
McKibbin is a club-mate of five-time major winner Rory McIlroy, the current Masters champion.
Peter Uihlein was second at 20 under and his fellow American Maguire was tied for third, another shot back.
The Hong Kong Open is one of the elevated International Series events on the Asian Tour in 2025, and is bankrolled by the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf.
It is also one of a select number of national opens around the world that were granted status as qualifiers for next year's Masters at Augusta and The Open at Royal Birkdale.
"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."