Tom McKibbin will go into the final round of LIV Adelaide inside the top 10 and six shots back after a second-round 71 at a Grange Course that’s provided a stiff test to the 54-man field.
The Holywood man carded three bogeys, two birdies and an eagle on the par-72 layout, the highlight of the round coming on the par-5 ninth where he found the green in two and rolled home a 15-footer to springboard up the leaderboard having carded a bogey and eight pars in his first nine holes, starting on the 18.
McKibbin’s -3 overall tally leaves him second only to team captain Jon Rahm 9-5) within the Legion XIII ranks, but the are very much in the hunt for back-to-back team victories as they lie second to Majestics GC who lead the way on -10 with Fireballs GC matching Legion XIII’s -9.
Tom McKibbin eagle! Here comes Legion XIII pic.twitter.com/WlaapQLRmS
— LIV’r & Onions! (@LIVRandONIONS) February 15, 2025
At the top of the individual leaderboard, Sam Horsfield backed up his opening 66 with a three-under 69 to move to nine-under, but he’s got company at the top in the shape of Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz who shot rounds of 67 and 68 respectively.
They are three clear of Jaoquin Niemann in solo fourth at -6, with Rahm breathing down his neck at -5.
28-year-old Horsfield is seeking his first LIV Golf individual win and the fourth since turning pro in 2017. He bogeyed his first hole Saturday and was one-over for his round at the turn but steadied the ship on the back nine and finished with two birdies to grab a share of the lead at nine-under.
“It was a real tough test,” Horsfield said. “I was really proud of the way that I hung in there and fought.”
His playing partners for the final round experienced LIV Golf success last season, with Ancer winning in Hong Kong and Ortiz in Houston. Ancer also knows what it’s like to win in Australia, having claimed the Australian Open in 2018 and his was the lowest score on Saturday.
“I love this kind of golf,” Ancer said. “I’ve always loved playing in Australia. Seeing the conditions like this is exciting. It’s tough, but it’s really good for me.”
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