Tom McKibbin has managed to keep his feet firmly on terra firma in a fledgling career that has already covered a lot of ground, including a win on the DP World Tour – last year’s European Open in his rookie season – but even this most laid-back of players has a sense of anticipation ahead of the Amgen Irish Open on what is, effectively, home turf at the famous links beneath Slieve Donard.
From a “quite traumatising” first impression of the Old Tom Morris-designed links when he first played as a young amateur, the 21-year-old Belfast native has learnt to appreciate and respect one of the toughest examinations in golf at Royal County Down. And he is only too aware that the Irish Open would represent the biggest win of his career to date should he manage lift the trophy come Sunday evening.
“It’s a pretty special place. It’s a golf course that you learn to respect a bit more and appreciate the more you play. The first couple of times I played it, I found it so difficult I didn’t really enjoy it that much. But, as I’ve got better, and played it more, I’ve came to appreciate it a lot more. It’s a very hard test of golf, a lot of blind tee shots with a majority [of holes in] crosswinds. It’ll be a very difficult test out there,” said McKibbin who, in his second season on tour, has navigated his way to the fringes of the 10 players (he’s currently 12th in the standings) who will earn PGA Tour cards for next year.
Yet, McKibbin’s approach is to let his golf do the talking. If that ticket to the US circuit were to materialise, great; but it would only be because of how he plays in the coming weeks and months as the DP World Tour hits a strong run of events in Europe and onwards to the Middle East for the season finale.
“From the last couple of weeks to the end of the year, the points [on the DP World Tour] have gotten so much bigger that I think there will be a lot of back and forward between everyone. So obviously, you want to push on to the end of the year and try and get one of those spots. But I think if I can just play well and keep playing well until the end of the year, and just see where that leaves me at the end. There’s a lot of points up for grabs, and if you can take advantage of those, they’re pretty, pretty serious,” said McKibbin.
The Irish Open – with its €5.35 million purse – is one of those big money/big points tournaments, naturally, with added appeal for McKibbin.
“It would mean a lot no matter where it was, but it being here at County Down would be even more special, just because of the prestige of the course and how special it is. I think it would be probably the biggest achievement of my career [to win], and it would probably maybe stay there forever. It’d be pretty special. And it’d be pretty cool if it was to happen.”
McKibbin’s journey in the professional game so far has been relatively seamless – turning professional as an 18-year-old and earning his full tour card off the Challenge Tour – but he has shown a hard edge too, an all too necessary mindset for high achievers.
He recently parted ways with veteran caddie Dave McNeilly, with Ricky McCormick, a golf coach at his old club at Holywood and a close friend of Rory McIlroy, assuming the bag-carrying duties.
Of that decision to change caddies midseason, McKibbin observed: “I just sort of needed to switch it up a little bit. Obviously, I’d been playing well all year. But I maybe just needed something different. And Ricky, I’ve known him for 10, 11, 12 years. Someone that knows my game quite well, and he’s caddied for me before, I’m very comfortable with him, and he does a good job for me. So yeah, I’m looking forward to spending more weeks with him.”
So player and caddie (and everyone else in the field) head into one of the most demanding weeks of the season, on a course where yardage books only tell so much. This is a challenge where second-guessing club selection and using the wind become factors unlike most other weeks of the year.
“You have got to get the lines off the tees right, especially on the blind tee shots; and then just don’t really try and shoot a score. I think you’ve got to be real patient and just keep the ball in front of you. I think par out there is going to be pretty good this week and I think just trying not to force it too much is probably the key.
“It’s obviously a completely different sort of style of golf than what we normally play. And I find it quite, quite difficult a lot of the time. It’s obviously different to see the ball move so much in the air than what you’re used to. A lot of different shots are required ... I’m just trying to go out there and play the golf course and see what’s the lowest score I can shoot. It’s just trying to keep the ball in front of you and see where that is at the end of the week,” said McKibbin.
One step at a time, so. Feet firmly on solid ground.
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