When Tom McKibbin first got the offer to join LIV Golf, the 22-year-old Northern Irishman phoned his mentor, Rory McIlroy, to pick the four-time major winner’s brain for advice on the monumental decision.
McIlroy was blunt with his protege. In his view, McKibbin had worked too hard to earn his PGA Tour card and rise up the world rankings to give it up merely for a payday.
“I think what he potentially is sacrificing and giving up with access to majors, potential Ryder Cup spot,” McIlroy said in January at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. “If I were in his position and I had his potential, which I think I have been before, I wouldn’t make that decision.
“Personally, for me, it would be a little disappointing if it were to happen. I made it perfectly clear: I am not going to stand in 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.”
McKibbin ignored McIlroy’s advice and joined Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII team.
LIV Golf kicks off its fourth season this week under the lights in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. McKibbin spoke during a pre-tournament press conference and explained why he went in a different direction than McIlroy had advised.
“It was definitely in my mind,” McKibbin said of McIlroy’s warning about potentially missing out on majors and the Ryder Cup. “But to me, I wasn’t in any of those anyway. Again, the opportunity to get to play with guys out here more often, 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 is currently in the Open Championship at Royal Portrush, but he is not in the field for the other three majors. McKibbin elected to keep his DP World Tour membership but will be able to play only select events that are opposite LIV’s 14-week schedule.
With the jump to LIV Golf, McKibbin forfeits the PGA Tour card that he earned last season with a strong year on the DP World Tour. McKibbin made birdie on the final hole of the DP World Tour Championship to secure his PGA Tour Card.
McIlroy, who won the event, immediately sought out McKibbin to congratulate him.
“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?’ And he said, ‘Yes,'” McIlroy said in November.
“I’m happy for him. That was a massive goal for him was to get one of those 10 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.”
To McKibbin, LIV presented opportunities that he couldn’t turn down, namely the chance to spend time around Rahm and other top players on a consistent basis.
“It was a decision that I made, but being young and 22, I’ve watched this last couple of years since it started. It’s something I really like to watch. Something very different. It appeals to more people my age,” McKibbin said.
“The opportunity to learn from some of the best players in the world week in, week out is something that appealed very nicely to me. I liked the whole concept of everything.”
McKibbin will make his LIV Golf debut on Thursday when the season kicks off in Riyadh.
