Staff WriterTom McKibbin turned the Link Hong Kong Open into a personal highlight reel, carding a bogey-free 10-under-par 60 to seize the first-round lead and etch his name into the record books at Hong Kong Golf Club.
The 22-year-old LIV Golf star and Legion XIII player out-gunned a field of seasoned pros and fearless youngsters, setting a new official course record and reminding everyone exactly why his stock is rising fast.
McKibbin’s 60 bettered Patrick Reed’s 59 from last year — which had the cushion of “lift, clean and place” conditions — and it came without a blemish in sight. Teeing off from the 11th, the Northern Irishman rattled in birdies at 12 and 13, then went on a heater from 15 to 17.
He caught fire again on his second nine, going birdie-eagle on two and three before adding two more at eight and 10 for a one-shot cushion over Jazz Janewattananond.
“It was obviously a very, very good round. I didn’t really miss too many shots, holed a few nice putts and took advantage of the two par fives that there are out there. And yes, 60 shots later, I’m sitting here!” said McKibbin, grinning like a man who’d just stolen par’s lunch money.
When asked about flirting with Reed’s 59, he didn’t hide his amusement. “No, I looked at the scorecard after 17 holes and saw it was a par 70, so I knew I had to eagle the last so maybe that helped… But yes, 60 is the lowest round that I have ever shot – 62 has been my best before. So it was nice to break that, fantastic.”
The Chasers
Thai favourite Jazz Janewattananond sits one back after a flawless 61. The seven-time Asian Tour winner and 2023 International Series Morocco champion took a while to warm up — three birdies on the front — before unloading six more on the back nine.
Compatriot Kiradech Aphibarnrat joined Louis Oosthuizen and Thomas Pieters at eight-under, showing flashes of the form that once had him top-50 in the world. “My iron play was strong, and I stayed positive throughout,” said Kiradech, enjoying his first Asian Tour start of the year. “The key for me today was simply enjoying being back on the Asian Tour… When I am having fun and in a good mood, everything else tends to fall into place.”
Oosthuizen, the ever-smooth Stinger GC captain, turned the back nine into a putting clinic. “Ten putts on the back nine definitely helped!” he said. “I read the greens really well today. I did some drill work on the putting green this morning and felt something click in my setup. I tried to carry that feeling into the round, and it worked.”
Pieters, meanwhile, started like a runaway train — four straight birdies to open — before cooling only slightly, still closing with a pair on 15 and 18.
Local Talent Steals Some Thunder
While local hero Taichi Kho endured a bruising 77, 17-year-old Jeffrey Shen provided home-grown fireworks of his own. The Hong Kong amateur posted a stunning 63 to finish three off McKibbin’s lead, his performance made all the more impressive after suffering heat stroke just a week earlier at the Asian Pacific Amateur in Dubai.
“I mean, I like this feeling, with my family and my friends here to support me, and because this is my home course, every time I feel really good here,” said Shen, who had his father on the bag. “At Hong Kong Golf Club, it is all about the putting. So you need to plan for it because the pin position is changed every day.”
Shen’s 63 tied him for sixth with Scott Vincent, Matt Jones, Kensei Hirata, and Austen Truslow, who managed an eagle, seven birdies, and one unfortunate double.
Reed Lurks, the Field Tightens
Defending champion Patrick Reed — the man whose record McKibbin just usurped — is five-under and tied for 22nd, lurking ominously. Kazuki Higa, Asia’s Order of Merit leader, sits a shot better on six-under in a crowded pack of 11 players, while last week’s International Series Philippines winner Miguel Tabuena opened with a tidy four-under 66.
The Link Hong Kong Open is the seventh of nine elevated events on the Asian Tour, forming a crucial pathway toward the LIV Golf League for the season-ending Rankings champion. And on current evidence, Tom McKibbin looks every inch the man ready to walk it.
