McKibbin needs to do what’s best for him, says Donald on LIV move

European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald insists his preparations for this week’s Team Cup remain unaffected, despite the overnight revelation that Team GB&I’s Tom McKibbin is reportedly set to make a surprise move to the LIV Golf League.

The Northern Irishman is poised to join Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII team on a lucrative multi-year deal, despite recently earning his PGA Tour card in November through last season’s Race to Dubai Rankings.

Speaking to Gulf News at the Team Cup, McKibbin neither confirmed nor denied the move but refused to comment on the reports, stating it was “out of respect to Justin (Rose), Luke (Donald), and the Team Cup.”

While the move appears imminent, it threatens to overshadow the second edition of the Team Cup at Abu Dhabi Golf Resort. The event serves as a Ryder Cup warm-up, pitting Team GB&I against Continental Europe.

Despite the timing, which comes as the Public Investment Fund—the financial backers of LIV Golf—continues negotiations with the PGA and DP World Tour to resolve golf’s ongoing divide, Donald appeared unfazed by the development.

“No, not at all,” replies Donald when I ask him whether news of the switch affects his plans this week.

“Tom has to make the decisions that he feels are best for him. I talked to Tom and he’s very much looking forward to this week, looking forward to playing for Justin, looking forward to try and impress me and contribute to the team.

“Nothing changes there.”

A team competition to prepare players for the Ryder Cup harkens back to the DP World Tour’s Seve Trophy, which ran from 2000 to 2013. This concept was revived in 2023 with the Hero Cup, held in the capital as a precursor to that year’s Ryder Cup in Rome.

The Hero Cup, won by Continental Europe, provided invaluable experience for Ryder Cup rookies. Sepp Straka, Robert MacIntyre, and Nicolai Højgaard all made their Ryder Cup debuts at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club just eight months later, building on the confidence and team dynamics they developed at the Hero Cup.

“Everything plays a part and a role and that was certainly one thing I talked about very immediately once I was made Captain for 2023 was to being back a team event,” added Donald.

“I think it’s important to have these guys come together to start to experience being in a team room. It’s important for Francesco and Justin to get a little bit of experience of being a captain, because hopefully down the road they’ll be future Ryder Cup Captains. It helps to have those practices in place as well.

“It’s a great week to start the year and I think it’s a good way to get their game sharp for the rest of the season to see how the perform under that sort of match play mentality. There’s a different pressure to match play and it’s good for me to see how they cope with it.”

One player aiming to impress Luke Donald this week is Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, the 2024 UAE Challenge winner.

The Dane's victory at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club was one of three triumphs on last season’s Challenge Tour, culminating in automatic promotion to the DP World Tour after his third win at the German Challenge in September.

Despite limited starts, Neergaard-Petersen finished the season ranked 105th in the Race to Dubai and topped the Challenge Tour’s Road to Mallorca Rankings.

His impressive performances didn’t go unnoticed by Donald, who rewarded the rising star with a spot on Francesco Molinari’s Continental Europe team, despite his relative inexperience on the global stage.

“Part of this week is to kind of see young talent that we think has the ability,” said Donald.

“Is he ready for New York? We don’t know that yet. But we’re looking to build for the future as well and I think the way he sort of come through the Challenge Tour and approached the first ten events he played on the DP World Tour, he did really well.

“We just saw an amazing amount of progress and that needs to be rewarded as well. We see a lot of potential in Rasmus and hopefully he is embracing the challenge this week.”

The year’s edition will follow the same format as in 2023, with teams battling it out in match play. The schedule includes one fourball session on Friday, two foursomes sessions on Saturday, and a singles session on Sunday, with all players competing in every session.

Each match is worth a single point, and the first team to accumulate 12½ points will claim the Team Cup trophy.