Tom McKibbin will be handed a suspension from the PGA Tour, but the punishment will not kick in until he makes his debut on the LIV Golf circuit in Saudi Arabia next week. McKibbin completed the LIV roster for 2025, after the Northern Irishman was signed by Jon Rahm and Legion XIII on Wednesday. It has been a whirlwind few months for the 22-year-old, who had secured himself a card on the PGA Tour for the coming season for the first time.

McKibbin - who is one of Europe's rising stars - was one of the 10 best-performers on the DP World Tour without a card Stateside, thus earning him a spot on the PGA Tour membership list in 2025. He has however opted to pledge his loyalties to the LIV setup instead, meaning he will be unable to play in PGA Tour events. Per Tour rules, any player competing on the LIV setup is handed a suspension and McKibbin will be no different.

The Northern Irishman's position is somewhat of a grey area, having only secured his card two months earlier. The PGA Tour has now confirmed to Mirror Sport that McKibbin's suspension will not come into play until he competes in an 'unauthorised event' on the breakaway circuit. This is a stance, the league has adopted for the majority of LIV members, having announced their first wave of bans just moments after the Saudi-backed league's opening event got underway at Centurion in June 2022. A different decision was taken when McKibbin's captain, Rahm made the move though.

For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US. The Spaniard became LIV's biggest signing at the end of 2023, penning a deal worth a reported £450 million. Rahm's suspension from the PGA Tour membership list came before he even had the chance to tee it up on the LIV setup, with the decision confirmed in a memo to players just days after his switch was announced.

"In accordance with the PGA Tour Tournament Regulations, Jon Rahm has been notified that he is suspended and no longer eligible to participate in PGA Tour tournament play due to his association with a series of unauthorized tournaments," the memo read. "This has resulted in adjustments to both the 2022-2023 FedEx Cup Playoffs & Eligibility Points List through the Playoffs and through the FedEx Cup Fall. Should any additional changes occur, the FedEx Cup Playoffs & Eligibility Points List will continue to update through the conclusion of the 2023 calendar year with final eligibility for the 2024 season being set on December 31, 2023.".