Dominant McKibbin wins Hong Kong Open to seal Masters spot

Tom McKibbin will play at the Masters for the first time and also qualified for the British Open after winning the Hong Kong Open on Sunday by seven shots.

The 22-year-old from Northern Ireland was a model of consistency all week at Fanling, leading from round one to triumph at the prestigious Asian Tour event in dominant fashion.

Belfast-born McKibbin, who won once on the European Tour in 2023 and now plays on the LIV Golf tour, shot an official course-record 60 on the opening day Thursday to ignite his title charge.

In warm and overcast conditions on Sunday, and leading M.J. Maguire by one shot overnight, McKibbin fired a final-round 63 to finish on 27 under.

He shot eight birdies in his final round including five in his last nine holes.

"I dreamt of doing this since I was a young kid, and they come true if you train hard enough," he said.

McKibbin is a club mate of five-time major winner Rory McIlroy, the current Masters champion.

Peter Uihlein was second at 20 under and his fellow American Maguire was tied third another shot back.

The Hong Kong Open is one of the elevated International Series events on the Asian Tour in 2025 and is bankrolled by the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf.

It is also one of a select number of national opens around the world that were granted status as qualifiers for next year's US Masters at Augusta and the British Open at Royal Birkdale.