Who is Tom McKibbin? All we know about the alleged new LIV Golf player

Tom McKibbin has been in the spotlight of the golf world since it was reported on Tuesday, January 7, that he could be joining LIV Golf soon. The report first appeared in the Spanish media outlet Ten Golf.

McKibbin is 22 years old and hails from Belfast, Northern Ireland. One of the clubs he played at during his golf development was Holywood Golf Club, the same club that produced superstar Rory McIlroy.

McKibbin had a relatively short but remarkable amateur career. He won one top-level tournament, the 2018 Major Champions Invitational, and reached the finals in the 2021 Australian Amateur.

McKibbin was also called up for four international events, the European Boys' Team Championship (2018, 2019, representing Ireland) and the Jacques Léglise Trophy (featuring junior boys' teams from continental Europe and Great Britain and Ireland) in 2018 (where they were champions) and 2019.

Tom McKibbin began his professional career in 2021, before his 19th birthday. He played most of 2022 on the Challenge Tour and finished 10th in the circuit's internal rankings. This earned him his DP World Tour card for the 2023 season.

McKibbin also quickly rose to prominence on the European circuit. In June 2023, he won the Porsche European Open, his first victory at that level, and in 2024, he finished 18th in the Race to Dubai, earning his PGA Tour card for 2025.

What did Tom McKibbin say about his move to LIV Golf?

According to the Ten Golf report, Tom McKibbin is reportedly leaving for LIV Golf to join Jon Rahm's team, Legion XIII. The team has an open spot due to the demotion of Kieran Vincent for his poor results in 2024.

McKibbin is at the Abu Dhabi Golf Resort in the United Arab Emirates to represent Great Britain and Ireland in the Team Cup. From there, he answered questions from the press about his reported departure to LIV Golf.

Here is part of what McKibbin had to say, via The Golfing Gazette:

"I’m not going to make any comments this week out of respect to Justin [Rose] and Luke [Donald] and this tournament. It’s a team event so I am just trying to give my best and see how many points I can get."

Jon Rahm's team finished the 2024 season in second place in the team standings with 200 points. They won four tournaments and added a second and a third finish.

In the team championship, Legion XIII was seeded in the semifinals and defeated Phil Mickelson's HyFlyers GC. On the final day, Legion XIII finished in fourth place.

LIV Golf recently announced the signing of another young player, Frederik Kjettrup, who will join Martin Kaymer's Cleeks GC team. Former reserve player Ben Campbell has also signed as a full-time player with Bubba Watson's RangeGoats GC team.