Tom McKibbin to represent Great Britain & Ireland at Team Cup in Abu Dhabi
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Tom McKibbin has been selected to represent Great Britain & Ireland when they take on Continental Europe in the Team Cup at Abu Dhabi Golf Resort at the beginning of the New Year.
The first 18 competitors for the tournament, which will run from the 10th to the 12th of January 2025, were announced by European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald on Wednesday, with a mix of Ryder Cup stars and some of the DP World Tour’s brightest talents included.
After consulting with respective Team Cup Captains Francesco Molinari, of Continental Europe, and Justin Rose, of Great Britain & Ireland, Donald has confirmed the first nine competitors on each side for next year’s match play contest, with a combined 70 DP World Tour victories and six representatives from recent Ryder Cups.
Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin, who earned dual membership on the PGA Tour for 2025 after another strong season, has been selected by Rose and he will compete alongside the captain, as well as Laurie Canter, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Aaron Rai, Jordan Smith, Matt Wallace and Paul Waring.
And featuring for Continental Europe will be Molinari (captain), Nicolai Hojgaard, Rasmus Hojgaard, Matteo Manassero, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Niklas Norgaard, Thorbjorn Olesen, Matthieu Pavon and Antonine Rozner.
The final member of each side will be selected after the Nedbank Golf Challenge, the third event of the 2025 Race to Dubai, which concludes on Sunday December 8.
Donald, who will Captain Europe for a second time at Bethpage Black next September, said: “Fran, Justin and I are really excited by the two teams which will assemble at the Team Cup in January. There’s a great mix of youth and experience on both sides and there will certainly be a competitive atmosphere at Abu Dhabi Golf Resort.
“This event provided valuable insight for a number of players who eventually made it to Marco Simone, with six of the 20 competitors in 2023 going on to play in the Ryder Cup, three of those making their debut appearances, and we’re excited to see who can make their mark in next year as they try and earn a place in my side for New York City.”
Rose, who won the U.S. Open in 2013 and will Captain the Great Britain & Ireland side for the first time, added: “Having two Ryder Cup teammates in Tommy and Tyrrell in the team will be invaluable, but I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the team step up to this new arena.
"Having also played in 2023, I’m sure Matt and Jordan will be keen to go out there and win the Cup so it’ll be great to watch them in action again.
“Most of my team have also had the opportunity to represent either Great Britain & Ireland or England and Ireland separately in the past, so they have a lot of experience to draw on from their amateur days.
"They are all proven winners on Tour, but I think Europe as a whole is going to benefit massively from next year’s Team Cup as we look towards the Ryder Cup at Bethpage.”
