Staff WriterTom McKibbin clung onto his narrow advantage at the Link Hong Kong Open, keeping alive hopes of a wire-to-wire victory as the young Northern Irishman faced mounting pressure from an all-American charge led by MJ Maguire and Peter Uihlein heading into Sunday’s final round at Hong Kong Golf Club.
After carding a record-breaking 60 earlier in the week, McKibbin followed up with a second successive bogey-free 65 to move to 20-under, maintaining a slender one-shot lead over the fast-finishing Maguire, who lit up the course with a sizzling nine-under 61. Uihlein, his playing partner and Range Goats GC teammate, closed with a 65 to sit just two back on 18-under.
Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat (66) and 2014 Hong Kong champion Scott Hend (64) share fourth at 17-under, with LIV Golf veterans Charles Howell III and Louis Oosthuizen lurking on 16-under after matching 66s. American Charles Porter and Korea’s Micah Shin (66) joined Thailand’s Poom Saksansin (63) at 15-under, rounding out a stacked leaderboard with no shortage of firepower.
McKibbin, representing Legion XIII, had his first stumble of the week with a bogey on the third, but responded in style with back-to-back birdies on four and five. Three more birdies came on six, nine, and twelve before another blemish at 15 – yet the 21-year-old steadied the ship with two crucial birdies on 16 and 17 to edge back ahead of Maguire’s rampaging charge.
“It was pretty good overall,” said McKibbin. “I felt the course was playing a little tougher – the pins seemed harder but I played some very nice golf. I holed a few good putts, and everything felt solid. I think everyone came here knowing those spots are available, but for me, finishing second or third doesn’t make a big difference. I went into the week with the mindset of giving it a good go, and that’s what I’ll try to do.”
He’ll need every bit of that mindset on Sunday, with places in next year’s Open Championship and Masters Tournament on the line, as well as valuable points in The International Series Rankings race — the season-long pathway to the LIV Golf League.
Maguire, who won on The International Series at the 2023 Black Mountain Championship in Hua Hin, produced the round of the day with a front-nine warm-up followed by a blistering stretch of golf. Two birdies early on set the tone, but the fireworks started on the 11th when he holed out from the fairway for eagle before adding birdies on 12, 13, 17, and 18.
“Yeah it all kind of kicked off on 11, I holed out the second shot,” said Maguire. “Had some tree trouble, was thinking about going over the trees. Hit a little punchy eight iron and it rolled in like a putt. You know, I was just happy to get that on the green and to see it drop. That was the kickstarter and I was able to make a few more birdies in a row.”
Uihlein, meanwhile, is no stranger to drama. After a triple bogey derailed his round on Friday, the American kept things steadier in round three — though not without a few roller-coaster moments.
“The start was all right, right? And then the last four, well, I guess 15 and 18 were bad, but it felt fine compared to yesterday, it felt like way less of a roller coaster than yesterday,” said Uihlein.
Reflecting on what’s at stake, the two-time International Series champion added: “It’s obviously amazing that the governing bodies have recognized this event for the quality that it is. It has obviously given us an opportunity to try and win, and a couple shots back, you still got to make a bunch of birdies, so we will see.”
Behind the leading trio, Scott Hend turned back the clock with a bogey-free 64 to move within three of McKibbin. The 10-time Asian Tour winner knows what it takes to conquer Fanling’s classic layout — and he’s not ruling out another charge.
“I just tried to play solid golf,” said Hend. “I missed a fair few putts out there, but when I missed the green, I managed to get it up and down. Overall, it was about staying steady and keeping things simple. I’ll need a low one because Tom is playing some good golf. We’ll see what happens. I’d love to be a Hong Kong Open champion again. That’s the main goal. For me, this is a special tournament on the schedule, and I always look forward to playing here. Everything else is just a bonus.”
Kiradech Aphibarnrat, making his first Asian Tour start of the season, recovered from a rough opening stretch to card a 66 and keep himself in contention.
“Rough start, two over through five and I missed couple of shots,” he said. “But I’m just enjoying this week. Today I was playing with my good friend Peter Uihlein, one of the best – we had a lot of chat and I played a lot better on the back nine. The team has done an amazing job here – the conditions are the best I have ever seen. There are a lot of opportunities to make birdies but if you don’t pay attention you can get hurt.”
The Link Hong Kong Open remains one of the Asian Tour’s crown jewels — the seventh of nine elevated events offering a direct pathway into the LIV Golf League.
And as McKibbin tries to cap a remarkable week with the trophy, he’ll be all too aware that in Hong Kong, it’s never over until the final putt drops.
