Rahm and McKibbin are team-mates on the LIV Golf circuit and the Spaniard admits he has been impressed by what he has seen from the Newtownabbey man so far. McKibbin is set to have a strong following when he tees it up on Thursday at Royal Portrush – but it’s his temperament which has caught Rahm’s attention the most. He said: “Well, Tom McKibbin should be really looking forward to this week, being a member here and being from Northern Ireland. "He's a fantastic young man. For a 22-year-old to be as calm and collected as he is is quite phenomenal. "He's quiet by nature, but even in competition when things go wrong, he stays quite calm, and it's just remarkable and an incredible gift to have for a young player. “I don't think I can relate to that whatsoever, so I'm a little bit jealous of that. I think it's going to serve him very well in the long run. “Obviously I think he's obviously internally processing the same emotions that all of us are processing, but outwardly he stays really, really calm, and that helps him quite a bit, on top of having a fantastic golf swing. “I don't know what it is about Northern Ireland, but they have two of the most beautiful golf swings ever produced in golf. He's a fantastic golfer in general. “He's got all the tools he needs to succeed in this game, and so far in his early career, he's done so.” After winning the Irish Open at Portstewart and Lahinch in 2017 and 2019 respectively – it is unsurprising that Rahm is relishing being back on Irish soil as he aims for his first Open Championship crown. The former Masters and US Open champion stated: “Ireland and Northern Ireland have been very good to me in my golf career. "It's been a lot of fun to be able to play here, have done well in Portrush in the past and have really good memories in Portstewart, so I'm really, really looking forward to this week. “Links golf in general, it's hard to replicate it unless you're in this part of the world.”