The Monday Mulligan: the week that was in golf …
- themondaymulligan
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Plenty of tours were on a break this week, but that certainly wasn’t the case for Tom McKibbin who put his foot to the floor and dominated the field in Hong Kong, booking his tickets to The Masters and The Open in the process. Read on for the recap as well as other news across the golfing world.
The Maybank Championship in Malaysia delivered drama, comebacks, weather delays and a memorable playoff finish. The event, held at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club (KLGCC), saw South Korean Choi Hye‑Jin storm out of the blocks, she carded a bogey-free 64 (8-under) in the opening round to take the lead. By the 54-hole mark she had built a commanding lead, posting a 197 aggregate (19-under) which broke the 54-hole tournament scoring record at that venue. However, on Sunday the script flipped. Japanese rookie Miyu Yamashita shot the low round of the day, a flawless 65 (7-under), to surge into contention, climbing from eight strokes back to join a three-way tie at 18-under. Australia’s Hannah Green also climbed into the mix with a 68 that included a clutch birdie on the 18th. Rain and lightning caused delays, including one more than 30 minutes before the playoff, adding tension to the finale. In the extra session, Yamashita birdied the first playoff hole to claim victory over Choi and Green, earning her second LPGA Tour title (after her major win in August). Meanwhile, Choi’s quest for her maiden title must wait, despite a valiant effort and strong mid-tournament performance. It was promising signs for Australia’s Hannah Green who looks to have found some form late in the season.
Miyu Yamashita wins the Maybank Championship in a three-way playoff
(photo courtesy of: www.lpga.com)
Young Northern Irish star Tom McKibbin dominated from start to finish the Hong Kong Golf Club, posting rounds of 60-65-65-63 to finish at 27-under (253), a tournament record by five strokes. He led wire-to-wire and claimed victory by seven shots over Peter Uihlein, who faltered with a quadruple-bogey on the 14th, but still secured solo second. From the outset McKibbin fired a bogey-free 10-under (60), an official course record at Fanling, to seize the first-round lead. The hype around the event increased because the winner would earn exemptions into both the Masters Tournament and the The Open Championship for 2026, and McKibbin’s victory secured both. He handled the pressure expertly, especially given that some of the top names in the field included LIV Golf-linked players and Asian Tour contenders. His closing round featured eight birdies and only one bogey, solidifying the dominant win. McKibbin’s weekend was flawless, he broke tournament scoring records, seized major entry exemptions, and left no doubt about his superiority this week. The event further underscored the rising profile of the International Series on the Asian Tour and the importance of this tournament as a gateway to the majors.
Best of the Aussies were Scott Hend and Matt Jones, who both finished in T6 on 18-under. They remained in the mix for most of the event up until McKibbin kicked away and out of reach.
Tom McKibbin wins in his first start on the Asian Tour
(photo courtesy of: www.asiantour.com)
Up Ahead
The Australasia Tours remain on a break, with the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia set to resume with the NSW Open in another weeks’ time, whilst our professional women on the WPGA Tour of Australasia have a full month before their regional qualifiers resume. The WPGA Tour also just released their 2026 schedule as well which is exciting and worth checking out on the Golf Australia website.
The PGA Tour is back in action this week at the World Wide Technology Championship where players will find themselves teeing it up in Mexico. Auston Eckroat is our defending champion and the 2025 version of this event has a purse of $USD 6 million along with 500 points on off towards the FedEx Cup Fall.
The DP World Tour commences its playoffs this week, where the top 70 will tee it up at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship being played at Yas Links Golf Club. The prize fund is worth $USD 9 million along with a further 9,000 points on offer in the Race to Dubai Standings. It’s all to play for as the field battles it out to unseat Rory McIlroy as the reigning Race to Dubai victor after he won his sixth title in 2024.
The Ladies European Tour is off to China this week for the Aramco China Championship, being played at Mission Hills on the World Cup Course. This event offers a purse of $USD 2 million and Celine Boutier collected the chocolates at this one last year.
The LPGA Tour is back over to Asia this week where they will tee it up for the TOTO Japan Classic at the Seta Golf Course. Rio Takeda won this event last year whilst the 2025 version of the event carries a purse of $USD 2.1 million, along with 500 points in the Race to CME Globe. Points are becoming critical at this time of the year as the Ladies head into the final few events, with plenty of tour members on the bubble for retaining their card.
The Asian Tour heads from Hong Kong over to Singapore this week for another International Series event, the Moutai Singapore Open. This is another opportunity for members of various other tours to qualify and compete for some OWGR points as well as a chance at the $USD 2 million purse on offer.
That’s it for this week, I hope it covered what you were after and if not, feel free to get in touch and offer some suggestions so we can improve the blog here at The Monday Mulligan. We are stoked to be back and capturing the highs and lows across the world of golf.
That’s it for now, stay safe and play well!
Play well,
TMM
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