Anirban plays fourth successive under-par round as McKibbin clinches Hong Kong Open

Hong Kong, Nov 2 (PTI) Anirban Lahiri of LIV Golf was the pick of the Indian challengers, carding a fourth successive under-par round even as Tom McKibbin won the Link Hong Kong Open in his first-ever start on the Asian Tour here Sunday.

Crushers GC man Lahiri carded a two-under 68 for a 14-under total, 13 shots back from McKibbin.

SSP Chawrasia also shot a 68 and finished four shots further back on 10 under, one ahead of Ajeetesh Sandhu (68) in the USD 2 million tournament at the Hong Kong Golf Club.

A final-round seven-under-par 63 saw the Northern Irishman McKibbin complete a stunning start-to-finish victory, with a four-round aggregate of 27-under 253.

American Peter Uihlein was his nearest challenger. Uihlein closed with a 68 to finish seven behind, while Tomoyo Ikemura (65) from Japan, South African Louis Oosthuizen (67), and America's MJ Maguire (70) were tied for third.

McKibbin's performance saw him break the tournament's 72-hole low scoring total and match its biggest margin of victory, while it also earned him a place in The Open and the Masters Tournament next year.

"Yeah, it was obviously amazing," said the 22-year-old after his second victory as a professional.

"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." The LIV Golf star, who plays for Jon Rahm's Legion XIII team, had a one-shot lead over Maguire at the start of the day and after holding off the chasing pack on the front nine - going out in three under with birdies on one, three and eight – he pulled away on the second half with birdies on 10, 11, 13, 14, and 16.

A bogey on the last was only his third of the week.

The previous lowest 72 total was 22-under – held by José María Olazábal (2002), Ian Poulter (2010), and Patrick Reed (2024) – while both Bernhard Langer and Bill Brask won by seven in 1991 and 1984 respectively.

It was a timely victory by the young Northern Irishman as this year marked the first time that Augusta National Golf Club and The R&A have invited the winner to their Majors.

It will mark his debut in the Masters Tournament and third appearance in The Open.

A calamitous quadruple bogey eight on the par-four 14th put fellow LIV Golf star Uihlein out of the running, but he did well to finish runner-up.

The Asian Tour and The International Series head to the Moutai Singapore Open next week. PTI AH AH AT AT