McKibbin maintains 100pc record as GB&I takes massive seven-point lead at Team Cup
Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose. Picture: Getty Images
Tom McKibbin maintained his 100pc record with two foursomes wins as Great Britain and Ireland roared into a massive seven-point lead over Continental Europe heading into Sunday’s ten singles at the Team Cup in Abu Dhabi.
The Newtownabbey talent (22), who is widely expected make a shock move to Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII team on the LIV Golf League this season, partnered Aaron Rai to a 4&3 win over Rasmus Hojgaard and Rasmus Neergard-Petersen in the morning.
GB&I won the session 3-5-1.5 to double their overnight lead and head into the second foursomes session leading 7-3 in the race to the 13-point finishing line.
In the afternoon, McKibbin teamed up with England’s Matthew Jordan and while they were one down with three to play, they birdied the last three holes to win one up.
GB&I won the session 4-1 to lead 11-4 overall, leaving them needing just two wins from the ten singles for victory.
“Yeah, that was an amazing finish,” said McKibbin, who also has a fourball win with Tyrrell Hatton on Friday. “We both sort of struggled out there a little bit, but we really dug in there and gave it all we had till the very last hole. And thankfully, it paid off.”
McKibbin was pleased with the morning match, where wins at the first three holes proved crucial.
“Yeah, very valuable,” he said. “Going out there with that mindset of trying to get up early, and we did that.
“We had had a couple of solid holes and the course can be very tricky, so I think we kept the ball in play the first couple of holes ask sort of let them make a few mistakes.”
McKibbin is one of just four players with a 100pc record after the first three sessions alongside teammate Tommy Fleetwood and Continental Europe’s Matthieu Pavon and Romain Langasque.
After winning their fourball on Friday, the French duo beat Jordan Smith and Laurie Canter 3&2 in the morning before seeing off Aaron Rai and Justin Rose 4&2 in the afternoon.
Despite the afternoon defeat, Rose was thrilled with his side’s performance heading into the singles and hopes to motivate his troops to win Sunday’s singles session.
“I guess I have to come up with definitely a good message,” Rose said. “I think that will be to win the session. That has been a bit of a theme, just wave after wave, one of [Paul] McGinley’s lines in 2014.
“Just keep hitting wave after wave after wave and so far the lads have done that.
“Obviously for their obvious personal pride, for singles tomorrow, I want to talk about how that changes the dynamic obviously. So we'll talk about that. But everyone is going to have personal pride tomorrow.”
McGinley was last year appointed Strategic Adviser to Luke Donald for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in September.
But he made no reference to McKibbin in his analysis on the day’s play on Sky Sports, perhaps illustrating how difficult it might be for the Antrim to make the Ryder Cup team from LIV Golf, should he decide to give up his PGA Tour card.
McGinley singled out Pavon for praise but also mentioned Aaron Rai, Matthew Wallace, Romain Langasque and Matthew Jordan as potential Ryder Cup players.
“I know he's on a team that's going to lose, but he's been something special,” McGinley said of Pavon, who won the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour last year. “He's got a bit of grit about him.
"I think it's no secret that we're looking at probably two or three rookies again. And as much as we're looking at this Ryder Cup in a very, very different way than we've ever looked at an away one before, what we're particularly looking for is personality and guile and grit, and somebody who can play in a hostile environment; somebody's got a little bit of an edge about them.
"And I think Pavon brings that to the table in particular.”
