TOM MCKIBBIN BECAME Irish golf’s latest tour winner as he landed his maiden tournament victory at the Porsche European Open in Hamburg on Sunday.
McKibbin, 20, saved one of his best of the day until last with a superb second shot on the par-five 18th.
From there, he two-putted for birdie to sign for a final round of three-under par 70 and a tournament-winning total of nine-under par.
McKibbin won by two shots from German duo Maximilian Kieffer and Marcel Siem, and France’s Julien Guerrier, who finished in a three-way tie on seven-under.
The win opens the door for a sensational Sunday double for Hollywood Golf Club, with clubmate Rory McIlroy holding a share of the overnight lead at The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield on the PGA Tour.
WHAT A SHOT! 🤯
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) June 4, 2023
From over 200 yards, @tommckibbin8 hits it to 7ft at the last! The closest approach into the final hole all day.#PEO23 pic.twitter.com/IUSwauWAUT
McKibbin started Sunday’s final round in six-way tie for the lead and moved himself into the box seat with three birdies on a bogey-free front nine.
A wayward tee shot on the 11th hole saw him drop his first shot of the day, followed by another at 13, but as the chasing pack gathered behind him to put the pressure on, he made two birdies in his final five holes to close out victory.
Asked what he had learned about himself on Sunday, McKibbin said: “I guess that I’m good enough to win.
“I always thought I was, but to prove it today was was pretty special,” he told Sky Sports.
“I guess I’ve learned a lot from from failures and missing cuts by a shot and just missing things very slightly.
“So to sort of take all those things I’ve learned and put them into play today, it was really nice.”
McKibbin will collect the winner’s cheque of over €300,000 in what was only his 26th start on the DP World Tour.
Speaking afterwards, he described his approach shot on 18 as “probably one of the best” of his young career to date.
“It was sort of tricky, and it wasn’t. I was trying to hit it just right edge of the green, and if it turned over, I knew the water wasn’t in play.
“It looked really good on camera, I’m sure, but it was the easier shot than laying up and hitting over the water I thought.”
Cab driver in Cork told me that when Keane signed for Man Utd, his dad came out of the toilet in the local pub with his lad in his hand saying, “Bet ye never thought this was worth 3 million pound”. I hope it’s a true story.
My favourite Keane quote is when his wife asked him how come he has his kids names tattooed on his arm but not hers. His reply was ‘I’ll never divorce them but I might divorce you’ :)
Not to be pedantic but I think it was ‘they’ll always be my kids…’
Dead right. I knew I was close
Happy Birthday Keano .
Mick McCarty “Where’s your respect?”
Roy “Where’s your first touch?”.
Video footage Football Gold…Keano love him hate him…still a LEGEND.
10 and 17 get my vote! Brill
“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men……..”
Langer
Bogus dude!
Dude, I’ll send the evil robot us’s around to you.
13 14 and 20. Ya won’t beat a bit of Irish humour!
love them all, vintage Keano !!!
Happy birthday to possibly the last real hardman football will see
“in the middle of the perk”……