The Team Cup kicks off next Friday, but the teams from Great Britain and Ireland and Continental Europe have been at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club since Tuesday to share the locker room and prepare for the competition. They need to familiarise themselves with the course and start designing pairings and strategies. One of the most sought-after players in these early hours has been, of course, Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin, following the news published by Ten Golf yesterday, which places him in pole position to sign for Legion XIII team of Jon Rahm in LIV Golf.
McKibbin has spoken to colleagues at Golf Digest Middle East and has preferred to sidestep questions regarding his potential signing with LIV Golf. He neither confirms nor denies the information provided by this outlet and picked up by other international newspapers, especially in the United Kingdom. Specifically, McKibbin has limited himself, likely advised by his team, to say the following: “I’m not going to make any comment this week out of respect for Justin (Rose, captain and player of Great Britain and Ireland), Luke (Donald, Ryder Cup captain) and the tournament. It’s a team tournament, and my only intention now is to focus on giving my best for my team and scoring as many points as possible,” he said.
“I’m not going to make any comment this week”
Tom McKibbin addresses the reports that he has signed a deal with LIV Golf and Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII team ahead of this week’s Team Cup in Abu Dhabi on the DP World Tour
Full story on Golf Digest Middle East#LIVGolf #tommckibbin pic.twitter.com/S3hzQKwzvY
— Golf Digest ME (@GolfDigestME) January 8, 2025
Obviously, McKibbin and his entourage are aware that confirming his signing with LIV Golf would cause a significant stir and, to some extent, could cloud the objective of this week, which is none other than team building and conducting trials with an eye on the Ryder Cup at Bethpage next September. Conversely, he could have easily put the matter to rest with a strong denial. In some way, the only way he could, it seems evident that McKibbin confirms the information provided by Ten Golf. Right now, he is the number one candidate to complete Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII team, filling the spot left by Kieran Vincent. Thus, unless there is a turn of events, it is logical that his incorporation into the Saudi league will be announced in the coming days.
Next week, McKibbin will compete in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, where he will meet Jon Rahm. We’ll see if it’s the moment to announce his signing or if they prefer to wait for a week without a tournament. In any case, what seems clear is that all roads lead to Rome, quite fitting given the Legion XIII…
Let’s remember that Tom McKibbin had secured his PGA Tour card for 2025 through last year’s Race to Dubai classification. It remains to be seen if he will use it by playing any tournament before his potential move to LIV Golf or not at all.
