Access granted: McKibbin earns Masters spot
Young LIV star claims back-door pass; LIV goes to 72 holes as it eyes OWGR inclusion
Tom McKibbin had lots to smile about in record-setting Hong Kong Open performance (Graham Uden/Asian Tour)
Back in January, Rory McIlroy tried to convince his Holywood Golf Club protégé Tom McKibbin to take up his PGA Tour card instead of sign with LIV Golf. The logic behind his advice was sound and simple.
“I think what he potentially is sacrificing and giving up access to majors, potential Ryder Cup spot,” McIlroy said then.
“If I were in his position and I had his potential, which I think I have been before, I wouldn’t make that decision. But I’m not him. I’m not in his shoes. He’s a grown man at this point and can make his own decisions. All I can do is try to give him my perspective.”
McIlroy was not wrong. Back in January, there were limited direct-access options for LIV golfers to get into majors. It was a risk McKibbin felt was worth taking when the young man widely expected to be Northern Ireland’s next star opted to turn down a PGA Tour card earned via the DP World Tour Rankings and join Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII on LIV Golf.
Since then, however, the U.S. Open and Open Championship created a narrow path for the leading player otherwise not qualified in LIV’s season-long points standings. And while the Masters still doesn’t offer any direct access to LIV golfers, it did announce in August a back-door admission ticket for the winners of selected national opens, five of which allow LIV players to compete.
McKibbin took full advantage of that back-door loophole at last week’s Hong Kong Open — the Northern Irishman’s first career start on the Asian Tour in the International Series event that’s backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund that bankrolls LIV. Now McKibbin will get to join McIlroy at Augusta, where the latter will be hosting his first Champions Dinner after winning the 2025 Masters and completing the career grand slam.
By winning in Hong Kong, McKibbin punches his ticket to both the Masters and British Open in 2026. It will be his first career start at Augusta National, the only major he had yet to compete in. McKibbin has played in two previous Opens.
“Very excited to go back and play my third Open, it will be very, very cool. And to have that drive down Magnolia Lane for the first time ever, it will be even more special,” he said. “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 went wire-to-wire at Hong Kong Golf Club after opening with a course-record 60, posting a final-round 63 to shut the door on everyone else with a tournament record 27-under total for the week — seven ahead of fellow LIV-ster Peter Uihlein trying to book his first trip to Augusta as a professional having competed in the 2011 Masters as the reigning U.S. Amateur champion.
“Yeah, it was obviously amazing,” said the 22-year-old McKibbin after his second victory as a professional (his first was the 2023 Porsche European Open on the DP World Tour). “I played some of the best golf I have probably ever played. So, yeah, to have that sort of golf and to shoot those scores around here is pretty special.
“It means a lot. I mean, with a tournament with so much history behind it, and you know, great players that have won this tournament, to have the scoring record is pretty special, and something that will definitely live with me forever.”
A quadruple bogey eight on the par-4 14th hole put Uihlein out of the running to get back to Augusta.
“Actually, I had both a quadruple and a triple bogey this week,” said Uihlein. “So, to still finish second despite that, I’ll take it.
“Unreal. (McKibbin) played unbelievably well. There is really nothing more to say. Shooting seven-under on a Sunday is incredible. I think he missed just one green, and even then he made par. He was so efficient and composed. Super impressive. That was awesome to watch.”
McKibbin joins England’s Marco Penge (Spanish Open) and Japan’s Naoyuki Kataoka (Japan Open) in getting into the Masters via the national open qualifying events. Still to come are spots available in the upcoming Australian Open in December at Royal Melbourne and the South African Open in February at Stellenbosch Golf Club.
LXXII Golf? 72 holes now on tap for LIV
LIV Golf hasn’t made much news this offseason. There have been no big player signings as yet, and there is no official word on who among the 2025 lineup is coming back for next season. The entire schedule has yet to be announced, either.
But the breakaway league did come through with a big move on Tuesday, one that was not expected to occur — certainly not in time for 2026.
It is going to play 72 holes.
LIV Golf is not changing its name to LXXII Golf, but it is going from 54 holes to the more standard 72 holes, a move championed by some of its star players.
“Everyone wants to see the best players in the world competing against each other, especially in the majors, and for the good of the game, we need a path forward,” said two-time major champion Bryson DeChambeau in a statement released by LIV Golf. “By moving to 72 holes, LIV Golf is taking a proactive step to align with the historic format recognized globally. This is a fantastic evolution of the LIV Golf product, showing how our league listens and adapts to create the best possible experience.”
The league debuted in 2022 with 54 holes, team golf as part of a stroke-play event and shotgun starts. But the 54-hole format has long been deemed a detriment in some circles.
Among the issues potentially associated with Official World Golf Ranking accreditation was LIV’s 54 hole format. While it wasn’t a deal breaker, it was among the issues along with the team format and lack of player turnover presented to the OWGR, which originally turned down its application in 2023 prompting LIV to withdraw its application.
LIV Golf has since reapplied. Earlier this week, it announced it was doubling the number of players who will join the league from two to four, with two spots from the nine-event International Series standings and two spots from a Florida Promotions event that will be played in January.
Whether that is enough to appease the OWGR and earn accreditation remains to be seen, but it’s likely no coincidence these changes are being made.
“This is a win for the league, and the players,” said two-time major winner Jon Rahm, who has been an advocate for 72 holes since joining the league in 2024. “LIV Golf is a player’s league. We are competitors to the core and we want every opportunity to compete at the highest level and to perfect our craft. Moving to 72 holes is the logical next step that strengthens the competition, tests us more fully, and if the growing galleries from last season are any indication, delivers more of what the fans want.”
LIV Golf did not say if there will be a 36-hole cut but it is unlikely due to the team format and the limited field size which now has 54 players competing. It also has not said how the four new players will be assimilated into the league.
“I think it’s a great move for the league and I’m excited for it,” said Dustin Johnson, one of the first to sign with LIV in 2022. “Playing 72 holes just feels a little more like the big tournaments we’ve all grown up playing. I’ve always liked the grind of four rounds — it gives the best players a chance to rise to the top. LIV Golf has been a great experience from the start, and I think this makes it even better for the fans and for us out there competing.”
Tom McKibbin gets into his first Masters and third British Open (Graham Uden/Asian Tour)
2026 Masters Field
Here’s how the 72 players currently qualified to play in the 2026 Masters got into the field
# first-timers (14); * amateurs (6); Americans (41); Internationals (31); Seniors (7)
Ludvig Åberg (13, 18) – Sweden
Akshay Bhatia (18)
Keegan Bradley (17, 18)
#Jacob Bridgeman (18)
Sam Burns (18)
Angel Cabrera (1) – Argentina
Brian Campbell (17)
Patrick Cantlay (18)
Wyndham Clark (2) – through 2028
Corey Conners (13, 18) – Canada
Fred Couples (1)
Jason Day (13) – Australia
Bryson DeChambeau (2, 13) – through 2029
Harris English (13, 15, 16, 18)
#Ethan Fang* (8)
Matthew Fitzpatrick (2) – England – through 2027
Tommy Fleetwood (17, 18) – England
Ryan Fox (17) – New Zealand
Sergio Garcia (1) – Spain
#Chris Gotterup (15, 17, 18, 19)
#Ben Griffin (17, 18)
#Harry Hall (18) – England
Brian Harman (3, 18) – through 2028
Tyrrell Hatton (14) -- England
Russell Henley (18)
#Jackson Herrington* (7-B)
#Brandon Holtz* (11)
Max Homa (13)
Viktor Hovland (14, 18) -- Norway
#Mason Howell* (7-A)
Sungjae Im (13, 18) – South Korea
Dustin Johnson (1)
Zach Johnson (1, 13)
#Naoyuki Kataoka (21) -- Japan
Kurt Kitayama (17)
Brooks Koepka (4) – through 2028
#Fifa Laopakdee* (9) – Thailand
#Michael La Sasso* (12)
Haotong Li (15) – (China)
Shane Lowry (18) – Ireland
Robert MacIntyre (14, 18) – Scotland
Hideki Matsuyama (1, 17, 18) – Japan
Rory McIlroy (1, 5, 18) – Northern Ireland
#Tom McKibbin (22) – Northern Ireland
Maverick McNealy (18)
Phil Mickelson (1, 4)
Collin Morikawa (3, 4, 18) – through 2026
#Andrew Novak (18)
José María Olazábal (1) – Spain
Carlos Ortiz (14) – Mexico
#Marco Penge (20) – England
Aldrich Potgieter (17) – South Africa
Jon Rahm (1, 2) – Spain
Patrick Reed (1, 13)
Davis Riley (16)
Justin Rose (13, 17, 18) – England
Xander Schauffele (3, 4, 13) – through 2029
Scottie Scheffler (1, 3, 4, 5, 13, 17, 18)
Charl Schwartzel (1) – South Africa
Adam Scott (1) – Australia
Vijay Singh (1) – Fiji
Cameron Smith (3) – Australia – through 2027
J.J. Spaun (2, 18) – through 2030
Jordan Spieth (1)
Sepp Straka (17, 18) – Austria
Nick Taylor (18) – Canada
Justin Thomas (4, 18) – through 2027
Bubba Watson (1)
Mike Weir (1) – Canada
Danny Willett (1) – England
Tiger Woods (1)
Cameron Young (14, 17, 18)
CATEGORY 1: Masters Tournament Champions (Lifetime)
CATEGORY 2: U.S. Open champions (Honorary, non-competing after 5 years)
CATEGORY 3: British Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after 5 years)
CATEGORY 4: PGA Champions (Honorary, non-competing after 5 years)
CATEGORY 5: The Players Championship Winners (3 years)
CATEGORY 6: Current Olympic Gold Medalist
CATEGORY 7A & 7B: Current U.S. Amateur champion (A, Honorary, non-competing after 1 year) and runner-up (B)
CATEGORY 8: Current British Amateur Champion (Honorary, non-competing after 1 year)
CATEGORY 9: Current Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion
CATEGORY 10: Current Latin America Amateur Champion (TBD Jan. 15-18, 2026 at Lima Golf Club)
CATEGORY 11: Current U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion
CATEGORY 12: Current NCAA Individual Champion
CATEGORY 13: First 12 players (including ties) in previous year’s Masters
CATEGORY 14: First 4 players (including ties) in previous year’s U.S. Open
CATEGORY 15: First 4 players (including ties) in previous year’s British Open
CATEGORY 16: First 4 players (including ties) in previous year’s PGA Championship
CATEGORY 17: Individual winners from previous Masters to current Masters of non-opposite PGA Tour events that award a full FedEx Cup point allocation toward the Tour Championship
CATEGORY 18: Eligible qualifiers for previous year’s season-ending Tour Championship
CATEGORY 19: Current Scottish Open champion
CATEGORY 20: Current Spanish Open champion
CATEGORY 21: Current Japan Open champion
CATEGORY 22: Current Hong Kong Open champion
CATEGORY 23: Current Australian Open champion (TBD Dec. 4-7, 2025 at Royal Melbourne Golf Club)
CATEGORY 24: Current South African Open champion (TBD Feb. 2026 at Stellenbosch Golf Club)
CATEGORY 25: Top 50 on final Official World Golf Ranking for previous calendar year
CATEGORY 26: Top 50 on Official World Golf Ranking published week prior to current Masters
SPECIAL EXEMPTION: The Masters Committee, at its discretion, also invites international players otherwise not qualified