Tom McKibbin has taken the DP World Tour by storm, and the 20-year-old Northern Irishman pulled off his best trick yet by taking the clubhouse lead at the end of his first round at this weekend's Singapore Classic.
The Holywood Native shot an impressive 64 on his opening round to finish on -8, a shot ahead of a four-way tie for second place.
The youngster has taken three top 20 finishes in the past three months on the DP World Tour, and looks firmly in contention to go even better this weekend.
Naturally, comparisons with his fellow Holywood man Rory McIlroy will abound, and McKibbin acknowledged his the influence of his "friend" in his Thursday afternoon interviews - which displayed a confidence far beyond his 20 years.
20-year-old Tom McKibbin leads after round one in Singapore
For a man of just 20-years-old, it's hard not to be excited by Tom McKibbin, especially after his display on Thursday at the Singapore Classic.
Eight birdies and not a single shot dropped made for a pretty perfect round, and the Northern Irish up-and-comer led at the close of day one. Speaking to the media after the event, McKibbin said that he was "enjoying" his golf, and displayed an impressive maturity for his young age.
He said:
A very good day - I went out there after the practice rounds, the course was pretty tricky. If you find the wrong spots on the greens. I navigated the course well, eight birdies and no bogeys is a nice way to start.
I played nicely last week, a few bad holes here and there, so it's nice to continue that nice form I had last week. Life's pretty nice if you're playing well; it's different if you're not. I'm enjoying it. I've played enough of these events that it feels normal to me now, but it's great fun.
I played solid golf, a bit of luck here and there. It hasn't been far away these last few weeks, so it was nice to see a round like that. I'm getting pretty comfortable. It's natural to me to come here and play now. It's been good so far. Hopefully I'll continue like that the rest of the year.
McKibbin follows in the shoes of Holywood's last young golfing sensation Rory McIlroy, who has gone on to cement himself as one of the world's very best.
The 20-year-old revealed that McIlroy has taken him under his wing, and the pair have played together as McKibbin finds his feet. He said that he appreciated the help from the four-times Major winner:
I've played with Rory quite a bit. I've been able to watch him and playing with him has been valuable for me to see where my game is at. It's been good for me to have some moments with him.
McKibbin has been tipped for big things by those in Irish golfing spheres and, judging by his form on the DP World Tour thus far, he may well live up to the hype. He tees off for round two in Singapore at 4:15am Irish time.
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