Shane Lowry is backing Tom McKibbin to make golf’s elite no matter what happens in the Holywood star’s battle for a PGA Tour card at this week’s DP World Tour Championship.

Lowry and McKibbin shot one-under 71s to share 20th place at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai.

The Offaly man made two birdies and a bogey in a round where little dropped while McKibbin, who is 11th in the race for 10 PGA Tour cards, vowed to keep attacking after chipping in at the 18th for a closing birdie four.

“Pretty good effort today,” said McKibbin (21), whose only regret was a double bogey at the short fourth.

“Nice to get that on the last and shoot in the red numbers on a golf course that is certainly playing much harder than last time. So happy to get in under par.”

As for the battle for ten PGA Tour cards, McKibbin knows he's going to need another stellar performance after a season that's already yielded nine top-ten finishes

PGA Tour Eligibility Rankings

“I think with this being such a big event, with so many points at stake, I think I know I have to play well to try and sneak one of those spots,” McKibbin said in a post-round interview with Meridian Media.

“I'm sure someone further down the rankings will have a good week and overtake me unless I play well, which I think is quite a nice thing, knowing that I have to go out and play well to earn it and not sort of be in one of those positions trying to protect that. So, yeah, I'll give it my best the next couple of days.”

Lowry (37) was impressed by McKibbin when they played together in the BMW PGA at Wentworth and he’s backing the Antrim man to make it to the top level.

“I don't know Tom too well; I see him around,” Lowry said in an interview with Meridia Media. “But I think his career is on a great trajectory. He's got nothing to worry about as long as he keeps being himself. 

“I played with him the final round of Wentworth, I was very impressed, my first tournament round with him.

“I think as long as he keeps being himself the next couple of years, he'll do great things in the game.”

As for his opening round, Lowry felt he didn't get rewarded for some good play as the Earth Course allowed only ten players to shoot in the sixties.

“Normally, you get someone shooting 8-under the first day,” he said. “The rough is brutal. You get in there, it's very hard to control your ball. You sometimes can't even get it out. 

“It's nice to play golf like that. It's frustrating sometimes to play golf where if you shoot five-under you're not that happy.

“So if you shoot in the 60s today you'll be very happy, and I think that's the way golf should be.

“The rough is pretty penal this year. Maybe that's the difference. I felt like I played good enough to shoot 67 or 66 today.

“But I burned the edge a lot early on, and then the hole got smaller from there. 

“I struggled, really. But I felt like I played great golf again today. One-under is not too bad.”

Lowry has been the model of consistency this year but he'd trade some of that consistency for one big week.

“Give me one good week over all the average weeks,” he said. “We'll see. This is my last week of the year, my last week for a while. 

“I'll give it everything I have over the next few days and see what happens.”