Jon Rahm breaks silence on latest LIV Golf signing as Rory McIlroy ally set for switch
DP World Tour star Tom McKibbin has been heavily linked with a move to the LIV Golf setup and Jon Rahm’s team, and the pair are in action at this week’s Dubai Desert Classic
Jon Rahm has placed plenty of praise on rising DP World Tour star Tom McKibbin after it was claimed that the 22-year-old was set to join the Spaniard’s LIV Golf team.
Rahm has been on the hunt for a fourth man to make up his Legion XIII roster for 2025, following the relegation of Kieran Vincent last September. And it appears he has found his man after and BBC Sport claimed McKibbin was set to be recruited by the breakaway league.
McKibbin was quizzed on the transfer whilst playing in last week’s Team Cup in Abu Dhabi, but the Northern Irishman refused to comment on the move.
Rahm meanwhile was asked about the future of the 22-year-old upon his DP World Tour return at the Dubai Desert Classic this week, and he believes the LIV setup is a great spot for the rising star to grow his game. “I can’t tell you what a good and bad environment is for Tom,” he said.
“I think that’s an answer for him. I think it is a good environment as any, really. It’s just as competitive as pretty much any other tour. You have to go out there and play against some of the best players in the world, so yeah, it’s an environment in which you can grow very rapidly, as well.
“He’s a fantastic player, and the possibilities for him are endless whenever he decides to do.” McKibbin has been dubbed as one of the hottest youngsters in European golf and earned full playing rights on the PGA Tour for 2025 after finishing as one of the top 10 performers on the DP World Tour last season.
McKibbin has strong links to PGA Tour loyalist – and LIV critic – Rory McIlroy, having both played their golf out of Holywood Golf Club in Northern Ireland during their youth. The pair shared an embrace when McKibbin secured his PGA Tour card at the final event of the season last November, with McIlroy also celebrating after winning the DP World Tour Championship and Race to Dubai crown.
“When I was walking off the last, I didn’t see his name and I saw him before I signed my card, and {McKibbin] was congratulating me,” McIlroy said at the time. “I didn’t want to ask — I said, ‘Yay or nay?’ And he said, ‘Yes.’ I’m happy for him. That was a massive goal for him to get one of those ten cards and go play in America. Super happy for him.”
If he is to sign with Rahm’s Legion XIII franchise though it will mean that the 22-year-old will be forced to give up his PGA Tour card just months after securing it. For now, his concentration lies with the Dubai Desert Classic and the DP World Tour, with McKibbin in the field alongside two of Legion XIII stars in captain Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton.