Jon Rahm showered praise on his LIV Golf teammate Tom McKibbin, after Legion XIII’s dominance in the league’s team standings continued on Sunday.
Legion XIII secured its fourth victory of the season at JCB Golf and Country Club, while Joaquin Niemann claimed a fifth individual prize. This strengthened Rahm’s team’s position at the top of the season-long standings, maintaining their lead over Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers in second place.
Rahm brought McKibbin’s talents to his roster in February, with the Northern Irishman forgoing the opportunity to compete full-time on the PGA Tour to join the LIV setup. Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler’s ‘childish’ financial agreement with his caddie is back in the spotlight after his latest $3.1 million win.
A protégé of fellow Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy, McKibbin sought guidance from the five-time major champion when considering his decision. While McIlroy believed his compatriot’s best interests were served by staying with the PGA Tour, the rising star chose to make the switch to LIV instead.
This move has only strengthened Rahm and his Legion XIII franchise heading into 2025. After capturing their second consecutive title at JCB on Sunday, the team captain declared: “Obviously picking up Tom this year is a massive addition,” he said of Legion XIII’s recent success.
“He’s a phenomenal player. With all four scores counting this year, I thought we played to our advantage. It showed early on and it’s showing now.”
McKibbin has secured four top-10 finishes across 11 starts this season, wrapping up his British stint with a tie for 11th place.
Teammate Tyrrell Hatton concluded his home tournament tied for 21st, while both Rahm and Caleb Surratt secured spots in the top five after Sunday’s final round.
“Yeah, I would say the team is looking good,” McKibbin declared while celebrating on the podium at LIV UK.
“Two wins in a row now. I think we’re all starting to play some nice golf and all are sort of consistent together, which I think makes for a good score come the end of the week. I think if we can all keep building on that for the last two, I think we’ll be looking good.”
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Questions were posed when McKibbin chose to reject a pathway to the PGA Tour in favor of joining LIV.
Five months later, however, the Northern Irishman seemed content with his choice.
“The season has been great,” he revealed ahead of last week’s tournament. “I didn’t really know what to expect. I’d obviously watched a lot of it. But to be part of a team environment and something that was different to me has been a lot of fun, and to be able to play with these guys and play with some other amazing players has been really cool this year. It’s been great to be a part of it, and sort of a little bit sad that the season is ending.”
