Tom McKibbin recorded yet another top-20 finish, his third in a row, in the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek in Malelane, South Africa. The 19-year-old DP Tour rookie combined rounds of 68, 73, 71 and 66 to finish in joint-13th place, eight strokes off the number set by maiden winner Ockie Strydom.
McKibbin opened with 68 to stand only three strokes off the lead but backed up on Friday when he shot 73. Five bogeys on his Friday scorecard made the difference, whereas he suffered just one on Thursday. He again gave up five strokes on Saturday, but six birdies made a world of difference. He came out smoking on Sunday with birdie at three of his first four holes.
McKibbin currently stands 27th in the Tour rankings after just three starts.
With five bogeys and a double in Thursday’s first round, Gary Hurley looked ticketed for a weekend off, having opened with 73. However, he minimized his errors from there on, losing only five strokes to par over the final 54 holes.
Hurley signed to rounds of 68, 71 and 70, which was good for a share of 32nd place, alongside the illustrious Ernie Els. That’s his second cut made in as many starts as a member of the DP World Tour. He ranks 65th among his DP Tour contemporaries.
John Murphy missed the cut yet again, his third of the nascent season, finishing four strokes off the number that would have granted him weekend privileges. Rounds of 75 and 72 can be attributed to one factor – too many bogeys. He had seven on Thursday and then three plus a triple bogey on Friday.
The trio will soldier on in this week’s Mauritius Open, the last installment on the calendar before the page turns to 2023.
