Tom McKibbin says he’s “excited and honoured” after being selected to represent Great Britain & Ireland at the upcoming Team Cup, which will be held at the Abu Dhabi Golf Resort in January.

The Team Cup was first staged in 2023 and effectively fills the gap left by the Seve Trophy, which was held eight times between 2000 and 2013 and gave captaincy experience to future Ryder Cup skippers Colin Montgomerie, Jose Maria Olazabal, Nick Faldo, Paul McGinley and Thomas Bjorn.

It pits a team made up of golfers from Great Britain & Ireland against Continental Europe and McKibbin will play alongside Justin Rose, who is also captain, Laurie Canter, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Aaron Rai, Jordan Smith, Matt Wallace and Paul Waring.

McKibbin’s memorable 2024 campaign was capped off in perfect fashion at the recent DP World Tour Championship where a birdie on the final hole ensured the 21-year-old sealed a PGA Tour card for next year, granting him access to more of the sport’s biggest events in North America.

placeholder image — Tom McKibbin competing at the Irish Open at Royal County Down earlier this year. (Photo by Liam McBurney/PA Wire)

The former Belfast Royal Academy student honed his craft at Holywood Golf Club, just like countryman Rory McIlroy, who was amongst the first to congratulate McKibbin on Sunday after sealing his own magnificent double by collecting the season finale trophy alongside winning a sixth Race to Dubai crown.

"Excited and honoured to be selected for the upcoming Team Cup in January!” McKibbin posted on social media. “Can’t wait to represent GB&I and give it my all!”

Luke Donald, who will captain Team Europe for a second Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in September, confirmed the first nine competitors on each side with a combined 70 DP World Tour victories between them.

“Fran (Francesco Molinari, Continental Europe captain), Justin and I are really excited by the two teams which will assemble at the Team Cup in January,” he said. “There’s a great mix of youth and experience on both sides and there will certainly be a competitive atmosphere at Abu Dhabi Golf Resort.

“This event provided valuable insight for a number of players who eventually made it to Marco Simone, with six of the 20 competitors in 2023 going on to play in the Ryder Cup, three of those making their debut appearances, and we’re excited to see who can make their mark next year as they try and earn a place in my side for New York City.”

Rose, who won the US Open in 2013 and will captain the Great Britain & Ireland side for the first time, added: “Having two Ryder Cup teammates in Tommy and Tyrrell in the team will be invaluable, but I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the team step up to this new arena.

"Having also played in 2023, I’m sure Matt and Jordan will be keen to go out there and win the Cup so it’ll be great to watch them in action again.

“Most of my team have also had the opportunity to represent either Great Britain & Ireland or England and Ireland separately in the past, so they have a lot of experience to draw on from their amateur days.

"They are all proven winners on Tour, but I think Europe as a whole is going to benefit massively from next year’s Team Cup as we look towards the Ryder Cup at Bethpage.”