Spanish golf news portal TenGolf.com reported today that the Newtownabbey star (22), who is all set to play for Great Britain and Ireland in this week’s Team Cup in Abu Dhabi, is the number one candidate to replace the relegated Kieran Vincent of Zimbabwe on the team captained by Rahm.
McKibbin’s manager, Mitchell Tweedie, did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment on the intentions of the Holywood Golf Club star, who last season secured one of ten dual memberships of the PGA Tour.
Neither Rahm nor LIV Golf has officially confirmed that McKibbin is a target for Legion XIII which is formed by Rahm, American Caleb Surratt and England’s Tyrrell Hatton.
Vincent was signed by Legion XIII last year after coming through the LIV Promotions event but dropped out of the league after finishing 54th of 57th players in the 2024 rankings and subsequently failing to win back his spot at December’s Promotions event in Abu Dhabi
Rumours of who will replace Vincent have been circulating for months with Dane Nicolai Hojgaard and Tony Finau strongly mentioned last year.
Finau ruled himself out last year but according to TenGolf, McKibbin appears now to be strongly expected to make what would be a surprise move.
Winner of the Porsche European Open in 2023, world number 110 McKibbin has a strong relationship with fellow Holywood Golf Club product Rory McIlroy, who has taken a keen interest in his career.
The world number three congratulated McKibbin on winning his PGA Tour card by just 10.5 Race to Dubai points with a closing birdie in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
“Yeah it would be great to be over there on the PGA Tour, a tour I’ve watched for a long time, and it will be great over there and play some golf,” McKibbin said in Dubai.
Rory McIlroy, right, and Tom McKibbin
McKibbin is one of the most exciting prospects to emerge from the DP World Tour in recent years and will be looking to make an impact and impress European Ryder Cup skipper Luke Donald as he plays for Justin Rose’s Great Britain and Ireland team against Francesco Molinari’s Continent of Europe in the Team Cup at Abu Dhabi Golf Club from Friday.
McIlroy made a point of seeking out McKibbin after the final round of the DP World Tour Championship to find out if his protege had won his PGA Tour card.
“I was looking at the leaderboard and I saw Tom got in the top 10 and I thought okay, good, and when I was walking off the last, I didn’t see his name and I see him before I signed my card and he was congratulating me, and I didn’t want to ask – I said, ‘Yay or nay?’,” McIlroy said in Dubai. “And he said, ‘Yes.’
“I’m happy for him. That was a massive goal for him was to get one of those ten cards and go play in America. Super happy for him…. I think Europe has a lot of good young players and that obviously bodes well for the future for European golf for Ryder Cups.”
A move to LIV Golf would clearly end McKibbin’s dream of playing on the PGA Tour. However, it would not rule him out of qualifying for the Ryder Cup.
He is currently exempt into The Open at Royal Portrush and will almost certainly qualify for the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.
Like Rahm, he is a Callaway player, and with the equipment brand understood to be close to reaching an agreement to become Legion XIII’s main sponsor this season, he’s an obvious target for the Saudi-funded league.
The 2025 LIV Golf season begins with the LIV Riyadh event at Riyadh Golf Club in Saudi Arabia from February 6-8.