The chatter here at The Team Cup – AKA the Ryder Cup dress rehearsal – has focused on the likelihood of Tom McKibbin joining LIV Golf and the revelation the 22-year-old is set to receive a $5 million (£4 million) upfront payment will only increase the volume.
McKibbin has still to confirm the impending move although as the Great Britain & Ireland captain Justin Rose put it: “He hasn’t denied it either.”
Sources indicate that McKibbin has yet to sign officially the two-year contract, but that the deal has been agreed in principle and that the Rory McIlroy protégé will link up with Legion XIII, the LIV quartet captained by Jon Rahm and also including Tyrrell Hatton.
Little wonder, therefore, that Rose paired Hatton and McKibbin at Abu Dhabi Golf Club in the opening fourballs and in its first competitive outing the partnership duly accounted for Frenchmen Antoine Rozner and Julien Guerrier 3&2 as GB&I took a 3½-1½ first-day lead.
“It sort of fell into place to be fair without any other agenda,” Rose said with a smirk.
Hatton was also tight-lipped, politely asking for questions only concerning this week’s match and perhaps the 180 he recorded on the dartboard in the GB&I team room on Thursday night. “What can I say, Luke ‘The Nuke’ [Littler] has inspired a nation,” Hatton quipped. “I celebrated it more than a hole-in-one. But I enjoyed today playing with Tom. We did really well as a team. We dovetailed nicely.”
For his part, McKibbin has vowed since Tuesday that “I won’t talk about it out of respect to this event”. However, the Ulsterman did acknowledge it was a relief to be inside the ropes and away from all the intrigue. “It was good to get out there and play and let my golf do the talking,” said McKibbin, who honed his skills at the same Holywood Golf Club as McIlroy.
No doubt, it has been an awkward few days for McKibbin, the world No 110 who lifted the European Open title last June. Not only is the brass of the DP World Tour in attendance, but Jordan Smith is also in the GB&I locker room. Credit to the 32-year-old from Bath for dealing so maturely with the McKibbin situation, because not everyone would be so understanding.
Two months ago, McKibbin beat Smith to the final PGA Tour card on offer to those not already exempt who finished in the top 10 on the DP World Tour order of merit.
By jumping ship to the Saudi-funded circuit, McKibbin will forsake his US playing privileges. If he had signed before last week’s PGA Tour deadline Smith would have received the career-changing card and the $500,000 minimum that goes with it. Surely, Smith would not be human if there is no bitterness?
“Absolutely not,” Smith replied when this was put to him following his and Laurie Canter’s last-hole win over Danish duo Rasmus Hojgaard and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen.
“I mean, the only thing is I didn’t have a card and I don’t have a card so it doesn’t really change anything for me. Tom’s got to look after himself, I’ve got to look after myself. We’ve been getting on great. We’re playing darts together, we’re having dinner together, we could even play together here, that would be absolutely fine.”
