Tom McKibbin’s trio of top-18 results in as many events has seen him break into the top-300 on the rankings, and up 23 places after last week’s share of 13th at the Alfred Dunhill Championship to the new World No. 297.
As tweeted by Nosferatu, McKibbin’s effort at age 19-years and 51 weeks saw him become just the first Irish teen in the world’s top-300 since McIlroy broke in aged 18 years and 23 weeks.
@VC606 it definitely does feel great to share this stat with @McIlroyRory 👊🏻👍🏻 https://t.co/G5m70i6xbP
— Tom McKibbin⛳ (@tommckibbin8) December 12, 2022
The Galgorm Castle attached McKibbin responded to the tweet, sharing his delight, saying: “It definitely does feel great to share this stat with @McIlroyRory”.
And McKibbin will be looking to improve his ranking ahead of turning 20 next Monday at this week’s co-sanctioned AfrAsia Mauritius Open being played on the Peter Matkovitch designed Mont Choisy Le Golf course located on the eastern side of the Indian Ocean island.
Joining McKibbin will be fellow DP World Tour rookies Gary Hurley and John Murphy while Ockie Strydom, winner of last week’s Alfred Dunhill Championship, heads a big field of Springbok-born golfers.
Also teeing-up will be Dane Thomas Bjorn and fresh from storming to a seven-shot success at the 2022 Legends Tour season-ending MCB Tour Championship on the Constance Belle Mare Plage course at Poste de Flacq, located some 40 kilometres away near the northern tip of Mauritius.
The win was a second Legends Tour win for the victorious 2018 European Ryder Cup captain and the 23rd of his pro career for the now 51-year-old Bjorn.
This week will be the sixth hosting of the event of the AfrAsia Mauritius Open won by Dane Ramus Hojgaard when last staged in 2019, though he’s chosen not to defend the title.
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