McKibbin to make professional debut at Tenerife Open

Tom McKibbin (Ireland) driving at the 13th tee during day two of the 2019 Home International Matches at Lahinch Golf Club today (12/09/2019). Picture by Pat Cashman

Holywood’s Tom McKibbin will make his professional debut at the European Tour’s Tenerife Open and play on invitations on the Challenge Tour and European Tour for the 2021 season.

The teenager (18) had a distinguished amateur career, winning a string of titles at an under-age level including the Junior Honda Classic, the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and the Peter McEvoy Trophy.

A former Irish International — he played in the men’s Home Internationals at Lahinch in 2019 — the Co Down talent represented GB&I twice at the Jacques Leglise Trophy but failed to make the team for next month’s Walker Cup after COVID-19 played havoc with his plans last year.

He had verbally committed to the University of Florida with a view to starting his college career later this year but when the time came to sign a letter of intent at the end of last year he did not.

Still needing certain academic qualifications to fulfil Florida’s admission requirements, his plans were changed by COVID-19 as the class schedule he and his parents had planned out around the big tournaments completely shifted.

“We didn’t really have any online schooling, so the teachers would just sort of send you the work and you weren’t taught it,” McKibbin told Golf Channel last December.

“I had no idea what to do. I needed to be taught [the material] to really understand it. I was so far behind that when I sat down and looked at it, I would’ve had to take quite a few months off from golf to try to catch up. I wasn’t really prepared to do that.

“It was disappointing. I love [Florida head coach] J.C. [Deacon] to bits. He’s probably one of the best people I know … and it’s just unfortunate the way it all played out for me to not be going there.”

After failing to make the Walker Cup team, McKibbin has decided to leave the amateur game behind and sign “a worldwide, exclusive marketing and management agreement with JMC Sport”, where he will be managed by Mitchell Tweedie, JMC Sport’s Director of Player Management.

“I’m ecstatic to make my professional debut next week at the Tenerife Open. I’m really looking forward to the season ahead and working with Mitch and the JMC Sport Team,” McKibbin said.

Tweedie said: “Tom is a talented and bright young player. We are delighted to start this journey with him and I look forward watching him grow and prosper across the various global tours.”