LIV Golf star who made €4m after defying Rory McIlroy speaks out before The Open
At 22, McKibbin isn't just known for his prowess on the green. He also has a name for himself for snubbing Rory McIlroy's advice over moving to the controversial golf league, choosing instead to pocket a hefty sum by joining LIV in January this year, despite having a PGA Tour card dangled before him.
McKibbin has performed admirably, if not entirely to his liking, in the ranks at the so-called rebel league. Yet he has earned €4million in prize money since making the jump to the breakaway series, and he's now thrilled at the chance to play a tournament on home soil again, with The Open teeing off on July 17.
"I've played here however many hundreds of times, it's somewhere I've come up and played since I was 10-years-old," he told the Belfast Telegraph ahead of the major. "To play a major championship on this golf course is going to be pretty special, the biggest event I'll ever have played in under that pressure and atmosphere.
"It's something not many people get to say, that they've played an Open in their home country. To play it here on one of the best courses in the world, it's going to be pretty special. To be here and be playing will be something that I'll probably remember forever."
McKibbin has placed outside the top 40 at the US Open and Open in 2024, while he struggled at the PGA Championship this year. His LIV performances have been somewhat inconsistent too, reports Belfast Live.
He kicked off the year in style however, securing three top-10 finishes soon after joining LIV Golf, hinting that he might have struck gold. His form then dipped as he recorded finishes outside the top-20 in four of his last five tournaments.
Nevertheless, the tide appears to be turning, marked by clinching a T4 spot at the recent Andalucia event with LIV Golf, where he also snagged a cool €713,000 ($833,000).
McKibbin acknowledges the rocky road since switching to LIV: "Yeah, it's been a little bit up and down. I played pretty nice at the start of the year up until Miami and then sort of since then I haven't really scored too well. I struggled a little bit getting off to a good start, and I've played a little bit nicer as the weeks went on.
"The game feels quite nice and it feels like it's been quite similar throughout the year. I just haven't really scored as good the last couple of events.
"I've had a lot of fun this year. It's been a whole different experience for me, something that I've enjoyed a lot. Really looking forward to these last five events of the year and seeing what can happen there."
Despite concerns that LIV may not adequately prepare players for the PGA's most prominent events, McKibbin thinks that competing alongside the league's powerful players has actually aided him in major tournaments.
As part of a team featuring two-time major winner Jon Rahm, McKibbin has also shared the course with notable players such as Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, and Brooks Koepka.
"I've been very, very lucky to play with a lot of very good players so far this year and I've definitely seen my golf game improve, playing tough courses like Doral. So it's definitely prepared me a little bit better. Yeah, I'm very happy," he said.
"I've obviously been playing with Jon [Rahm] in a lot of practice rounds, and then on tournament days as well, so to see how they play the game and how they take on golf courses, it's been very eye-opening."
McIlroy once advised McKibbin against the move, with the Masters champion going on record to voice his displeasure at LIV Golf. He has since softened his position on the breakaway circuit.
"If I were in his position, I wouldn't make that decision," McIlroy said after McKibbin announced his decision to sign for LIV. However, McKibbin has no regrets about the switch to the breakaway Saudi circuit, where he has now earned a pretty penny in a short amount of time.
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