Last year, Rory McIlroy made it crystal clear to his protege, Tom McKibbin: PGA Tour over LIV Golf. Because he is young and getting into majors via LIV will be tough. McKibbin heard the advice... and then promptly waved it off. He joined the rebel league. While there’s time to prove McKibbin wrong, right now the kid is smiling after clinching the LINK Hong Kong Open title.

On the final round, McKibbin picked up three birdies on the front nine to stay two shots clear of Peter Uihlein. Then the 22-year-old added five more circles to his scorecard, reducing the 72nd hole to a mere formality. His lone bogey on the 18th, en route to a tournament-record 27-under, only trimmed the victory margin from eight shots to seven.

With this, McKibbin joined his compatriot and mentor, Rory McIlroy. Can you guess how? Yes, Rory is also a past champion of the tournament (2011), but that’s too obvious and NOT the one we’re talking about.

Can you point out the actual (and eerie) similarity between these two? The hint was hidden in one of the sentences above — check if you got it right.

This victory also earned McKibbin a spot at the 2026 Masters and 2026 Open Championship. But before the Masters, the mentor and mentee will meet at the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship this week.

Last year, when McIlroy got to know McKibbin secured his PGA Tour card, he gave a tight hug and a pat on the back. Yes, the young gun did ‘disobey’ McIlroy’s advice. But their relationship hasn’t turned frosty. These two go way back, since McKibbin was a teenager. So, don’t be surprised if the cameras catch them sharing a laugh again in Dubai.

Beyond McKibbin’s victory, here are three moments from last week that definitely slipped right under your radar.

Close: Dianna Lee’s week was a roller-coaster ride. At the East Lake Cup, the Northwestern senior won the individual stroke-play title and was named the Big Ten Golfer of the Week. But she was robbed of an ace. By the flagstick itself. Watch the miss that totally ruined our morning mood.

Escape: At the Hong Kong Open’s final round, Peter Uihlein’s ball found the greenside bunker on the 16th. The kind of lie that makes bogey seem an acceptable option. But, Uihlein aimed for the pin and walked away with a hole-out birdie. Witness the magic with your own eyes.

NIL: Virginia head coach Bowen Sargent argues that NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) is turning college golf into a bidding war. Universities, he says, are slyly using it as recruitment carrots and threatening the sport’s integrity. Listen to his explanation on how the historic ruling is getting ‘misused.’

The college sports landscape is evolving fast. But do you think Bowen is right in saying that it might just be in the wrong direction?

If you haven’t found anything to cheer on (yet), allow us to change that. Last Sunday, plenty of great things happened all around the globe:

LPGA Tour: Miyu Yamashita, starting eight strokes behind the leader in the final round of the Maybank Championship, fought back to force a three-way playoff. Hannah Green and Hye Jin Choi made pars, while Yamashita birdied the first hole en route to her second title in her rookie year. She also created a rare LPGA record, as you can see here.

G4D Tour: Kipp Popert, World No. 1 in Disability golf, shrugs off pressure like a seasoned PGA Tour pro. At the G4D Tour Series finale, he calmly shot a one-under 71 for a seven-shot victory and his 16th title. Popert’s composed reaction to a terrible break shows why he is so successful. Watch it below:

HotelPlanner Tour: James Morrison was playing the last tournament of his career. But Fate had other plans. Yesterday at the Rolex Grand Final, Morrison — with his 13-year-old son caddying for him — shot 70 to secure a win and lock his DPWT card. After the victory, he gave his son a tight hug and a kiss. Check out the heartwarming moment here. 

Well, that wraps up the week in golf around the globe. Now, let's move to a tricky slow-play debate and see how the LPGA is handling it.

Slow play is a problem, and the LPGA found the right solution. On Friday, a rookie was assessed a one-stroke penalty. Yan Liu also incurred a two-stroke penalty at the Amundi Evian a few months ago. The rules might seem vague on the surface, but the LPGA’s policy is crystal clear:

1. Players are penalized for the actual time taken for all the shots in a hole. Hypothetically, if a par-4 has a predetermined 40 seconds per shot, and the player takes a total of 172 seconds instead of 160, she will incur a penalty.

2. Now, groups get a warning before being put on the clock. If a player goes 1-5 seconds over time, she can get away with only a fine. But this year, players who had 40 or more holes timed will also receive a separate fine.

3. For taking 6–15 seconds extra, there is a one-stroke penalty. For more than 16 seconds, it becomes two strokes. Too harsh? Well, watch Carlota Ciganda’s 90-second preshot routine and you’ll understand why the LPGA had to enforce this rule.

Without a doubt, this policy deserves consideration at every circuit. Tiger Woods would certainly agree, as his past comments clearly show where he stands.