McKibbin qualifies for Masters with Hong Kong win

Hong Kong Open final leaderboard

-27 T McKibbin (NI), -20 P Uihlein (US), -19 T Ikemura (Jpn), L Oosthuizen (SA), MJ Maguire (US), -18 D Wenyi (Cn), M Jones (Aus), S Hend (Aus)

Selected others: -12 P Reed (US), -9 T Gooch (US), -8 S Horsfield (Eng), -7 P Casey (Eng).

Tom McKibbin qualified for the Masters for the first time with victory at the Hong Kong Open, earning him a spot in The Open.

The 22-year-old Holywood golfer won the prestigious Asian Tour competition at Fanling consistently starting in round one.

McKibbin, who was born in Belfast and currently plays on the LIV Golf Tour, shot a course-record 60 on Thursday to start his title defense. He also won once on the European Tour in 2023.

McKibbin shot a final-round 63 to finish on 27 under par in warm, overcast conditions on Sunday, leading MJ Maguire by one shot overnight.

In his final round, he made five birdies, out of which five were made.

He said, “I have a dream about doing this since I was a young child, and if you work hard enough, it will come true.”

McKibbin and Rory McIlroy, the current Masters champion, are club-mates.

With 20 under, Peter Uihlein finished second, while American Maguire, who was also in third, was a shot back.

The Saudi-backed LIV Golf is the sponsor of the Hong Kong Open, which will take place on the Asian Tour in 2025.