Hong Kong Golf Club has a new course record.
With a Masters invite up for grabs, Tom McKibbin fired a 10-under 60 on Thursday in the opening round of the 2025 Link Hong Kong Open — the seventh of nine events on this year’s International Series Schedule. He followed it up with a 65 on Friday and will take the lead into the weekend, two shots clear of a three-way tie for second. McKibbin is bogey-free through 36 holes. His Thursday 60 included eight birdies and an eagle at the par-5 third.
“Hopefully, very similar stuff [over the weekend] would be nice,” McKibbin said. “I think I’ve sort of took the approach going into this week just to play very aggressive and whatever the outcome is, come the end of the week, it is what it is. And I think maybe I’ll just keep doing that. And, you know, I’ve had quite a nice year. So why not just go for it?”
McKibbin, a 22-year-old from Holywood, Northern Ireland, who grew up on the same golf course as Rory McIlroy, enjoyed a solid debut season with LIV Golf this year. A member of Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII squad, McKibbin posted four top-10 finishes in 13 events and ended up 20th in the season-long standings, which puts him in the “lock zone,” meaning he is guaranteed to keep his spot for the 2026 campaign.
Peter Uihlein, another member of LIV Golf, is part of that three-way tie for second in Hong Kong, along with Jazz Janewattananond and old fan-favorite Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who’s seeking his first Asian Tour victory in seven years. Uihlein shot 64 on Thursday and followed it up with a 63 on Friday, which included a triple bogey and a stretch of five straight birdies.
Uihlein finished the 2025 LIV season at No. 38 in the player standings, which landed him in the “open zone.” That means he avoided total relegation and he’s eligible to be invited back to LIV Golf next year, but nothing is promised. Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats GC squad could look a lot different when the calendar turns, with three of its players — Uihlein, Ben Campbell and Matt Wolff — all finishing outside the lock zone.
The International Series consists of nine events throughout the year staged by the Asian Tour and financially bolstered by LIV Golf. The player who finishes atop the standings after the PIF Saudi International next month will be granted a spot on LIV’s 2026 roster. Right now, that player is Scott Vincent, who’s more than 100 points ahead of second-place Miguel Tabuena in the rankings. Vincent sits in a tie for 15th at 9 under in Hong Kong.
