“I’ve shot 62 possibly 4 occasions earlier than however this was positively my lowest and I believe it may be very laborious to beat,” mentioned McKibbin.
He started with a birdie on the second gap, then carded an eagle on the third, earlier than additional birdies on the eighth, tenth twelfth and thirteenth.
Belfast-born McKibbin, who made the change to LIV Golf for the 2025 season, then began a run of three consecutive birdies on the fifteenth and completed bogey-free at 10 underneath par to guide Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond – who carded 61 – by a shot.
Fellow NI golfer Graeme McDowell is 87th after a disappointing one-under-par 69.
The winner of the occasion will qualify for the 2026 Masters, whereas the highest-placed non-exempt participant who makes the lower will earn a spot within the area for the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale in July.
