Northern Irish standout Tom McKibbin stamped his arrival on the Asian Tour in emphatic fashion, firing a brilliant seven-under-par 63 to seal a wire-to-wire victory at the US$2-million Hong Kong Open at Hong Kong Golf Club.

McKibbin finished with a tournament-record 27-under 253 total, pulling away from the field to claim his second professional title and secure coveted places in next year’s Masters Tournament and The Open.

McKibbin breaks records in commanding debut

Starting the final day with a one-shot lead, McKibbin surged ahead early with three birdies on the front nine before stretching his lead with clutch birdies on holes 10, 11, 13, 14 and 16. His lone blemish came with a bogey on the last, only his third all week.

American Peter Uihlein finished seven shots back at 20-under to place second, while Tomoyo Ikemura, Louis Oosthuizen and MJ Maguire shared third. McKibbin’s performance shattered the event’s 72-hole scoring record and matched its biggest margin of victory.

Future bright as McKibbin eyes Major stage

McKibbin called the win “pretty special,” noting the significance of joining a list of distinguished past champions and earning Major championship spots through the event’s historic new qualification pathway.

The 22-year-old LIV Golf player, representing Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII, now looks ahead to his Masters debut and third Open appearance, calling the upcoming walk down Magnolia Lane a “dream moment.”

Uihlein, who carded a quadruple bogey and triple bogey over the week yet still finished runner-up, praised McKibbin’s poise and execution under Sunday pressure. The Asian Tour now shifts to the Moutai Singapore Open next week.