Latest news with #McKibbin
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
PGA Tour rebel who ignored Rory McIlroy suffers big blow as LIV Golf stop paying fines
Rising golf star Tom McKibbin potentially faces some big bills after LIV Golf decided to stop covering the fines of players who wish to remain members of the DP World Tour Tom McKibbin's future Ryder Cup ambitions have been thrown into jeopardy after LIV Golf opted to cease covering his fines. The Northern Irish golfer sent shockwaves through the sport when he jumped ship to the Saudi-funded breakaway circuit earlier this year. In doing so, he gave up his newly acquired PGA Tour card and went against advice from Rory McIlroy, who warned that joining LIV was "not worth the sacrifice". McKibbin maintained his DP World Tour membership, keeping his European Ryder Cup eligibility intact. In line with the European tour's rules, his LIV participation has triggered penalties, which his Saudi backers had been settling. However, this arrangement is set to end in 2026, with LIV no longer covering fines for players who remain affiliated with the DP World Tour, reports The Telegraph. This represents another setback for McKibbin, who missed the cut at the recent Open Championship at Portrush. The report reveals that LIV has so far settled approximately £15million in player penalties, with potentially another £10million still outstanding. From next year onwards, golfers will need to cover their own fines if they want to maintain their DP World Tour status. Failure to meet these payments would result in expulsion from the tour and Ryder Cup ineligibility, potentially weakening future European squads. Following September's contest at Bethpage Black in New York, the 2027 edition will take place at Adare Manor in County Limerick. LIV golfers Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton are challenging the financial penalties imposed on them for playing in the rebel series without permission. The appeal is set to take place following the forthcoming Ryder Cup. The outcome is anticipated to favour the DP World Tour, echoing a past ruling where Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood lost a similar challenge two years prior. An arbitration panel upheld the DP World Tour's authority to enforce its rules. Three years after LIV's contentious inception, many in the golfing world expected a resolution by now. In 2023, the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) declared a "framework agreement" with a view to co-existing. However, two years later, efforts to reconcile the sport remain at a standstill. This deadlock could leave rising star McKibbin, who sits at 56th in the DP Tour rankings, facing a tough choice: continue with LIV in hopes of an accord or settle his DP World Tour fines from his own funds. McKibbin sought guidance from McIlroy on whether to make the profitable move to LIV. McIlroy added: "There is so much money in the game and some would argue too much money in the game for the eyeballs that we attract. For whatever the benefit may be, I don't think it's worth the sacrifice to what he's potentially going to give up." However, that advice fell on deaf ears as McKibbin opted to join LIV, where he has already won around £3.5m after receiving an initial £4m for signing up.
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
LIV Golf star shows true colours as he speaks about crowd reaction to Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy may have had to settle for finishing tied for seventh at The Open, but the wave of support for the Masters-winning superstar was unlike anything Tom McKibbin has ever seen LIV Golf star Tom McKibbin has claimed he has never witnessed anything quite like the reception given to Rory McIlroy at The 153rd Open Championship. McIlroy was unable to claim his sixth major at Royal Portrush, as he and his fellow competitors could only look on whilst Scottie Scheffler cruised to victory to take the Claret Jug. Nevertheless, the 36-year-old received a hero's welcome when he stepped onto the course, with locals desperate to catch sight of the Masters champion. The highly-regarded McKibbin, who endured a disappointing Open Championship after missing the cut on day two, has now praised the Portrush spectators for their steadfast backing of McIlroy, who eventually secured a T7 finish. The youngster's comments display that, even though the support was largely reserved for McIlroy, whose pleas he famoulsy ignored to sign up to LIV Golf this year, he was still ecstatic to see his compatriot be given such a reception. "Yeah, no, I didn't see the stuff on Sunday. I obviously seen it the first couple days, on the Friday," the 22-year-old said when questioned about the crowd's response to the Holywood-born star. "I think he was finishing up when we were on the 12th or 13th, so you could obviously see them from very far away, and the crowds were incredible last week. It was something I hadn't seen before, and it was really good, the support that they showed everyone." With speculation that future Open tournaments could return to Portrush – or Portmarnock – McKibbin was questioned about what teeing off at those venues for a major would mean to him, reports Belfast Live. "I think Portmarnock is a great links course, probably one of the best in the country, and again, it's a very sort of special, special place, special golf club with a lot of history," the Northern Irishman said. "It's a very pure form of golf. As all the rumors are, the Open there would be pretty cool, and to sort of have two Open venues on the island would be pretty cool." McKibbin has suffered from inconsistent form in the Saudi Arabian-backed circuit this year and blamed "silly" errors for his Open Championship woes. "It's been a frustrating last two days. I've played some really nice golf," McKibbin told BBC Sport. "I think it's the best I've played in the four majors I've played in. There was just a few silly mistakes. It's very frustrating with the way I think I've been playing. "I birdied the first and made some really nice chances, and to drop those shots that I didn't think were too poor of a shot, they were more of a mistake, that's what more frustrating than anything." McKibbin's switch to LIV notably grabbed McIlroy's attention, with the Northern Irishman urging him against joining the breakaway circuit. Nevertheless, McKibbin opted to proceed anyway and has since revealed he harbours no regrets about rejecting the PGA Tour, whilst also explaining how competing alongside stars such as Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau has sharpened his skills. "No, very happy," he told the Irish Independent in May when asked about any regrets over his move. "I've had a great time. Yeah, I'm very happy. I've been very fortunate to tee up alongside several stellar players who have shone in the majors and battle it out with them."
Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
‘Sergio a very obvious good choice' – Jon Rahm backs Garcia for 2031 Ryder Cup captaincy in Spain
Denis O'Brien's Camiral on Catalonia's Costa Brava was officially named as the venue yesterday and Rahm, who was speaking ahead of LIV Golf UK at JCB Golf and Country Club, reckons Garcia could follow in the footsteps of 1997 skipper Seve Ballesteros and captain the side on home soil. "Knowing that some things smoothed over in the world of golf, that Sergio could possibly be the captain of the Ryder Cup team, that also adds to it," Rahm said. "I think there's something to say about possibly having, obviously, a local captain. I think it would do wonders for the crowd. "If history shows us anything, and it's very hard to compare anybody to Seve, but I've only heard stories about what that Ryder Cup was like. "I would say, if possible, I think that's a very obvious good choice to have Sergio be a part of that one." Rahm's Legion XIII teammate Tom McKibbin will be 28 in 2031 and while he opted not to take Rory McIlroy's advice last year and joined the Saudi-funded tour despite warning that it would diminish his chances of qualifying, he admits he'd love to play for Europe in Adare in 2027. "I mean, yeah, I'd love to be a part of Ryder Cups and things like that," said McKibbin. "But again, it just depends just how everything is and how my golf game is by then or before then. "Obviously, you've got the one in Adare Manor in 2027, so I'd love to try to be a part of that, and yeah, just keep trying to play the best I can to work towards those." McKibbin missed his first cut in a major at last week's Open Championship at Royal Portrush, but he hopes that Portmarnock is added to the rota of courses in the future. ADVERTISEMENT "I think Portmarnock is a great links course, probably one of the best in the country, and again, it's a very sort of special, special place, special golf club with a lot of history," McKibbin said. "It's a very pure form of golf. As all the rumours are, the Open there would be pretty cool, and to sort of have two Open venues on the island would be pretty cool." The Newtownabbey native (22) won the Porsche European Open in 2023, but he has yet to win under the 54-hole format since joining the LIV Golf circuit this season. "If you don't quite have it the first day, it's quite a lot of grind to make up for it the last two, and then obviously the fields are strong here," McKibbin said. "There are some incredible players, major champions, and I feel for me personally, I feel like the golf courses have been a little harder. "But overall, I think the main thing for me what I find is trying to get off to a good start so you don't have to chase as much the last couple of days. "I haven't been able to win on the European Tour since then, so I think it's hard to win anywhere."
Belfast Telegraph
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Tom McKibbin vents his frustration after missing first Major cut of his career
'Not great. A little bit annoyed. Yeah, a little bit p****d off,' he opined bluntly after firing a two-over second-round 73 to finish the week at three-over-par, two shots too many for the cut line. You could hardly blame him, given he started the day so positively with a birdie at the first, but a double-bogey at the eighth after finding trouble over the green and two more bogeys at the par-fours 11 and 14 were enough to do the damage. He reinvigorated his hopes of making the weekend with a birdie at the 15th to get back to three-over, with the cut at that point threatening to move to two-over, but three pars to finish just wasn't good enough. 'The whole week was good, sort of positive,' he continued. 'I thought I played all right, just a few sort of stupid mistakes that, looking back, I wouldn't really hit different. 'The shot was fine, just sort of missed in the wrong spot or got the club slightly wrong. 'Overall, I actually thought I played quite nicely, just a few silly mistakes.' The Open at Royal Portrush: What happened in 2019 It is another crucial bit of Major experience for the 22-year-old, who has four more events on the LIV Tour to play in before he finishes his season with some DP World Tour invites, even if this was the first he has played where it only lasted for two rounds. He will take plenty of confidence from a strong showing on the greens, where he ranked fourth in strokes gained putting, and how he battled through some punishing weather but, ultimately, it wasn't enough to get him in for the weekend. 'I think that's what's probably most annoying. This is probably the best I've played out of them all,' McKibbin fumed. 'Just so many like stupid errors, just pins at the back of the green, hitting over the green. It's just where there's nothing really wrong with the shot. So, I think that's what's a little bit frustrating.' Meanwhile, if this was Darren Clarke's final appearance at a Major, then it was a great one to go out on, and he gave himself a chance of making the cut even if he did end up missing the number by a considerable distance. The 56-year-old looked visibly emotional as he walked up towards the 18th grandstand to round out a second consecutive three-over 74 to end the week at six-over, but he will not forget holing a 56-footer for birdie on the 10th that fostered hope that he might do something special. In the end, though, five bogeys sunk him, including at the 13th and 18th after the birdie at 10, and it's a missed cut for the Dungannon man. Time will tell, but it could very well be his last in this hallowed event.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Frustrated' McKibbin set for early Open exit
Northern Ireland's Tom McKibbin said he was frustrated with "silly mistakes" as looks set to miss the cut at the Open. After an opening round of one over at Royal Portrush, McKibbin birdied the opening hole on Friday but bogeyed the eighth, 11th and 14th to move to four over. A birdie on the 15th gave him hope of making the cut, which had fluctuated between one and two over par, but three closing pars left him on three over for the tournament. "It's been a frustrating last two days. I've played some really nice golf," McKibbin told BBC Sport NI. "I think it's the best I've played in the four majors I've played in. There was just a few silly mistakes." McKibbin, 22, said he made a "silly mistake" on the eighth hole when he overshot the green and his round never really recovered from that mistake. "It's very frustrating with the way I think I've been playing. I birdied the first and made some really nice chances, and to drop those shots that I didn't think were too poor of a shot, they were more of a mistake, that's what more frustrating than anything. "It was a great week, the whole way through with the crowds and everything but it wasn't meant to be."
