Speaking to the media after a frustrating final round at Muirfield Village that would see Rory McIlroy come up short in his quest to land his first PGA Tour title of 2023 at Jack Nicklaus’ The Memorial Tournament, Rory McIlroy was inevitably asked about his fellow clubman’s incredible victory at the Porsche European Open earlier in the day.
“Very well,” he replied when asked how well he knew the 20-year-old phenom. “I watched every shot this morning. I was really happy for him. For 20 years old he showed so much composure. And, yeah, look, he’s been, we’ve all known from back home the potential that he has, but I think to break through and win for the first time at 20 years old is, there’s a bright future ahead of him.
“And, yeah, just so happy and so proud of him, really. I’ve known Tom since he was 10 years old. And to see his progression and see where he is today and get that first win in Europe is, was really cool to see.”
Unfortunately for Holywood Golf Club, the dream scenario of a McKibbin and McIlroy one-two punch didn’t come to fruition, but the younger man’s victory now guarantees his DP World Tour playing rights for the next two seasons so there may be plenty of other opportunities ahead, and with McKibbin now up to 22nd in the Race to Dubai rankings and with 10 PGA Tour cards on offer, we could be seeing a lot more of them on the course together in the coming years.
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