
Rory McIlroy said that he had spoken with Tom McKibbin, a fellow County Down player, after the latter was given a contract to join Jon Rahm’s side in the breakaway LIV Golf Series. Last week, BBC Northern Ireland reported that McKibbin, 22, was poised to join the Legion XIII team with Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton.
McKibbin, who, like McIlroy, hails from Holywood in County Down, had just recently secured his PGA Tour card for 2025, in news that brought congratulations from McIlroy and Shane Lowry. The youngster had publicly spoken of his excitement to play regularly on the Stateside tour but the recent links with LIV have thrown doubt on the likelihood of this playing out.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Dubai Desert Classic, Rory McIlroy confirmed that he had spoken to his compatriot and warned him that he could be “sacrificing” his massive potential in the game of golf should he go through with the move to LIV.