Northern Irish golfer Tom McKibbin won the Hong Kong Open on Sunday, a tournament on the Asian Tour, after leading from the first round. In doing so, he secured spots in both the Masters Tournament and the British Open next year.
Hong Kong, results
McKibbin, 22, who plays on LIV, the golf league funded by Saudi Arabia, completed the final 18 holes at the Hong Kong Golf Club with a 63, seven under par, for a total of -27, seven strokes ahead of second-place finisher Peter Uihlein of the United States (-20).
Since setting a course record on the first day and reaching -10, McKibbin maintained his lead throughout the competition.
The Hong Kong Open, one of the most prestigious tournaments in Asia, having been held since 1959, offered an extra prize for the winner: a spot in the next editions of the Masters and the British Open.
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The Northern Irish player, who plays for Legion XIII, the LIV team captained by Spaniard Jon Rahm, already won the European Open in Hamburg, Germany, in June 2023, part of the DP World Tour.
The best-placed Spaniards in the Asian tournament were Catalan David Puig and Josele Ballester from Castelln, who finished tied at -15 in fourteenth position.
The Rules of Golf are a set of standards and procedures by which the sport of golf should be played. They are jointly written and administered by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, the governing body of golf worldwide, except in the United States and Mexico, which are governed by the United States Golf Association. An expert committee composed of members of the R&A and the USGA oversees and refines the rules every four years. The latest revision took effect on January 1, 2016. Amendments to the Rules of Golf are generally divided into two main categories: those that improve understanding and those that reduce penalties in certain cases to ensure balance. The rulebook, entitled "Rules of Golf," is published regularly and also includes rules governing amateur status. In Italy, the Italian Golf Federation is responsible for overseeing competitions by enforcing the rules issued by the R&A, ensuring that these rules are observed by clubs, associations, and their members, and managing the resulting sporting justice, protecting their interests abroad.
