Marcus Kinhult will make his first World Golf Championships start at the WGC – Mexico Championship from February 20-23, continuing his meteoric rise following European Challenge Tour graduation in 2017.
The Swede’s latest milestone follows a breakthrough season in 2019 where the 23-year-old secured his maiden European Tour title at the Betfred British Masters and finished a career high of 12th on the Race to Dubai presented by Rolex Rankings.
His dramatic victory at Hillside Golf Club, where he birdied his final two holes to win by one, fulfilled an early promise which was highlighted long before he sealed promotion via the Challenge Tour three years ago.
A teenager sensation, Kinhult made headlines when he became only the third player to lead a European Tour event as an amateur and wasted little time making an impression following his switch to the paid ranks, finishing 33rd and tenth in his second and third European Tour appearances as an 18-year-old.
His first full Challenge Tour season in 2017 was equally eventful, with Kinhult earning eight top ten finishes, including a share of second place at the season-ending Challenge Tour Grand Final, which ensured he finished fifth on the Rankings, well within the promotion spots.
The Scandinavian’s maiden WGC appearance at Chapultepec Golf Club is representative of his continued rise up the ranks since then, as he continues to establish himself as one of Europe’s brightest young players. After a strong debut campaign in 2018, where he finished inside the top 50 on the Race to Dubai, he came into his own last season, narrowly missing out on his second win of the year at the seventh Rolex Series event of 2019, the Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player.
His reward is a berth in a world-class field alongside the likes of World Number One Rory McIlroy, four-time major winner and fellow Challenge Tour graduate Brooks Koepka, and 2019 European Number One Jon Rahm. Never one to be overwhelmed by an occasion, do not be surprised if Kinhult is in the mix going down the stretch on Sunday.
Robert MacIntyre, who also rose to prominence after being in contention at the 2019 Betfred British Masters and won the 2019 Challenge Tour Graduate of the Year and European Tour Rookie of the Year award, is one of four other Challenge Tour graduates who will make their WGC-Mexico Championship debut appearance this week, with Benjamin Hebert, Victor Perez and Mike Lorenzo-Vera also set to tee it up in the tournament for the first time.
