Tom McKibbin won the Hong Kong Open.

Many thought Tom McKibbin was making a mistake when he decided to forego his PGA Tour card this year in lieu of signing with the LIV Golf League, including his mentor and idol Rory McIlroy. The 22-year-old played on Jon Rahm's Legion XIII squad and finished in the top 10 four times, finishing 20th in the season-long standings.

Yet Sunday provided the biggest moment of his career thus far.

McKibbin won the Asian Tour's Link Hong Kong Open, an International Series event, by seven shots, securing spots in the 2026 Masters and 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in the process. It'll be McKibbin's third time competing in golf's oldest major championship, but it will be the first time he heads to Augusta National in April.

“Very excited to go back and play my third Open, it will be very, very cool," McKibbin said. "And to have that drive down Magnolia Lane for the first time ever, it will be even more special. You know, I think sort of historic tournaments like this deserve those spots, and yeah, it's great to sort of take advantage of those.”

McKibbin's win came in historic fashion. His 27-under 253 mark set a new tournament record by five shots, and it was his first start on the Asian Tour. He fired an opening-round 60 and followed it up with 65, 65 and 63 to finish on Sunday, besting fellow LIV golfer Peter Uihlein by seven.

To begin the day, McKibbin has a one-shot lead. He birdied three holes before making the turn, then had four in five holes to pull away. Now, he has spots in two majors secured for next year.

"Yeah, it was obviously amazing,” McKibbin, who secured his second professional victory, said. "I played some of the best golf I have probably ever played. To have that sort of golf and to shoot those scores around here is pretty special."

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: This LIV golfer earned his first Masters start after record victory at Hong Kong Open

Reporting by Cameron Jourdan, Golfweek / Golfweek

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