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Tom McKibbin: Hollywood GC's latest star becomes a Tour winner at just 20 years old. Alamy Stock Photo
Golf

Antrim's Tom McKibbin wins first DP World Tour golf title aged 20

McKibbin, 20, shot a three-under par final round with the Porsche European Open in Hamburg.

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.

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.”

Written by The 42 Team and posted on the42.ie

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