Remember the name.
Ireland has a habit of producing top golfing talent and it looks as though we may have the next Rory McIlroy on our hands as 15-year-old Tom McKibbin is set to make his European Tour debut next month.
McKibbin, who plays at McIlroy’s home course, Holywood Golf Club, will compete in the inaugural Shot Clock Masters at Diamond Country Club in Austria next month.
The event has been introduced as a way in which to combat slow play. Each player in the field will have 40-50 seconds to play a shot, depending on the type of shot. The European Tour hopes it will cut round times by approximately 45 minutes.
McKibbin has been on the golfing radar for a few years now. He’s won 16 junior tournaments across the globe and was thrust into the spotlight when he played alongside McIlroy in the 2016 Irish Open pro-am.
Excited to have received an invite to play on the @EuropeanTour next month at the Shot Clock Masters! A big thanks to the European Tour for this amazing opportunity! https://t.co/4jgvEaHAd6 #MPTathlete
— Tom McKibbin⛳ (@tommckibbin8) May 18, 2018
McKibbin also became the youngest player to tee it up at a European Challenge Tour event, playing in the 2016 Northern Ireland Open at the age of 13 years and 222 days.
“It is very exciting to play on the European Tour for the first time, and especially in the first ever tournament like this.
“Teeing it up at Diamond Country Club will be an amazing experience, but I’m also looking forward to seeing the shot clock technology and how the whole event works.
“I’m in favour of fast play and I consider myself to be a fast player so I think the idea behind the Shot Clock Masters could be great for the future of golf.
“I’m grateful to the European Tour and the promoters of the Shot Clock Masters for giving me this opportunity. It is my dream to play on the European Tour in the future and I can’t wait to experience the environment and take the chance to learn as much as I can from the players in Austria.”
⛳ @tommckibbin8 with an ACE on his way to winning the @MajorChampions Invitational @Bella_Collina in Florida.
15 year old Tom was playing for Team @McIlroyRory and won the boys' title at the tournament. 👏👏👏👏🏆 pic.twitter.com/uQ8BTVBtS6— BBC SPORT NI (@BBCSPORTNI) March 15, 2018
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