Rory McIlroy’s comments about Tom McKibbin speak volumes now after Ryder Cup decision

LIV Golf’s Tom McKibbin will unsurprisingly not be part of Team Europe for the 2025 Ryder Cup, and while leaving the PGA Tour may not have affected his chances, Rory McIlroy’s advice rings relevant

Rory McIlroy warned fellow Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin that joining LIV Golf could cost him a Ryder Cup spot, and the 22-year-old hasn’t made the cut for 2025.

Belfast-born McKibbin strung his bow at the same Holywood Golf Club as the iconic McIlroy and turned professional at 18, making waves last year when he secured a PGA Tour card via the European Tour.

Yet, ignoring his compatriot’s advice, McKibbin penned a deal with the rival LIV at the beginning of this year for a reported £4million. He has since gone on to claim £7.5m in prizes and won the Team Championship with Legion XIII last month. In McIlroy’s plea to McKibbin, the 36-year-old claimed his younger countryman could miss out on a Ryder Cup spot in light of his LIV decision.

Although McKibbin’s inclusion in Team Europe’s squad ahead of Bethpage Black this summer was not guaranteed, playing more regularly on the PGA Tour alongside top pros could have aided his slim chances, and McIlroy’s warning rings somewhat relevant.

“I made it perfectly clear: I am not going to stand your way if you need to make the decision you feel like you need to make for yourself,” McIlroy stated regarding McKibbin in January. “At the same time, I feel like he’s giving up a lot to not really benefit that much.

“I think he’s got a ton of potential,” he added. “I said to him, if I were in your shoes, I would make a different choice. Working so hard to get your tour card in the States, something that he did, to achieve that goal last year was a big achievement.

“I think what he potentially is sacrificing and giving up with access to majors, a potential Ryder Cup spot, if I were in his position and I had his potential, which I think I have been before, I wouldn’t make that decision.

“There is still a ton of money to be made on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. There is so much money in the game, and some would argue too much money in the game for the eyeballs that we attract. I think that for whatever the benefit may be, I don’t think it’s worth the sacrifice to what he’s potentially going to give up.”

Players like Ludvig Aberg and Rasmus Hojgaard perhaps exemplify what McKibbin may have achieved. The 25-year-old Swede reportedly turned down an offer from LIV in 2022 to continue as a budding amateur, and in his two years on Tour, he is now World No. 14 and a crucial part of Luke Donald’s squad.

Hojgaard was a young European Tour star just like McKibbin, and after earning his dual membership card via that circuit, the 24-year-old is now set to make his Ryder Cup debut. On the other hand, two of McKibbin’s LIV team-mates, Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, did make the cut.

Alas, while the young McKibbin will not be present at the Ryder Cup this year, World No. 2 and Masters champion McIlroy will lead the European charge. He remains optimistic ahead of Bethpage Black, and knows the partisan US crowd won’t make things easy for him and his team-mates.

“I’ve said this repeatedly, but I think winning an away Ryder Cup is up there with one of the biggest achievements in the game, especially nowadays,” McIlroy admitted this week.

“There’s a reason every Ryder Cup for the last 10 years has gone to the home team. They have a big advantage from the setup of the course to how partisan the crowd is.

“But I think the Europeans have a wonderful opportunity this year to achieve something very, very special – but it’s going to be very difficult. Make no mistake, we know we’re up against it.”