A tied-13th place at the Alfred Dunhill Championship gave Northern Ireland's Tom McKibbin a third top-20 DP World Tour finish in a row, but it also gave him a record much more meaningful.
It made him the second Irish teenager ever to make it into the top 300 of the world rankings, following in the footsteps of his Hollywood GC clubmate Rory McIlroy.
He now lies in 297th place in the world, and in the top 30 of the DP World Tour's rankings.
Having finished last year in 1140th place, his rise to the top 300 has been remarkable. With the 2023 Ryder Cup on the horizon, he could be a dark horse to make Luke Donald's team in Rome.
Were he to make, it could be the first European Ryder Cup side to feature four Irishmen, if Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, and Seamus Power also made the grade.
Tom McKibbin Makes Fine Start To DP World Tour Season
Tom McKibbin has made a fine start to his first DP World Tour season - 3 Top 20 finishes. Has been on a run since missing 5 of 6 cuts in May & June. Since then made 15 cuts in 17 events, 11 of them top 15’s. A habit of finishing strong. Last 6 events final round stroke av = 66.4.
— Greg Allen (@gregallenRTE) December 11, 2022
Second hole-in-one today!🎯@tommckibbin8 makes an ace in South Africa at the 224-yard 11th 👏#InvestecSouthAfricanOpen pic.twitter.com/GB3xSLI3p6
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) December 1, 2022
READ HERE: Tom McKibbin Becomes Youngest Irish Golfer Since Rory McIlroy To Secure Tour Card
In a previous interview, Tom McKibbin spoke about the comparisons to Rory McIlroy, which he is now more than use to.
"I try not to read much about myself or anything like that. I’ve heard the comparison since I’ve been nine or 10 years old so if anything, it’s got a little old now.”
“It’s still a compliment being compared to Rory. I’ve been compared to him a lot since I’ve been young and of course it’s a compliment. He’s so good, he’s probably one of the best golfers ever.
“But it doesn’t change me, or make me do anything different. I probably thought it was so cool when I was younger and obviously it’s still a big compliment but I’m Tom, and I’m going to do my own thing.”
SEE ALSO: Rory McIlroy's Historic Year Continues With Another Prestigious Award
