Jackson Koivun to the Presidents Cup

When the Presidents and Ryder Cups come along each year, there is a certain expectation of who is going to make the U.S. Team: Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, Sam Burns, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, and of course, Justin Thomas. This is the boys club that we know and love – they are on our TVs every fall donning the red, white, and blue.

There are also newcomers in each event, like J.J. Spaun and Ben Griffin in last year’s Ryder Cup. This year’s Presidents Cup is no different, with Chris Gotterup and Jacob Bridgeman getting the nod from Captain Brandt Snedeker. But there is one name that people had hoped for, but did not realistically expect to make it: 21-year-old Jackson Koivun. 

Koivun turned pro in the middle of the season, after three amazing seasons at Auburn where he swept all four of college golf’s major awards: the Haskins Award, Jack Nicklaus Award, and Ben Hogan Award, as college golf’s best player, as well as the Phil Mickelson Award as college golf’s best freshman. He also won the SEC Freshman and Player of the Year awards, and led the Auburn Tigers to a national championship. 

He continued to stack up awards; a year later, he won SEC Player of the Year again, as well as the Mark H. McCormack Medal for finishing the year as the world’s top-ranked amateur. And before turning pro, he won the three major awards he was eligible for from his freshman year again, in addition to another SEC Player of the Year, and another national championship.

In his six professional starts, he already has a victory. Many will say he is not worthy of a spot on this team, and they may be right; he made six starts this year, most tour pros made between 15 and 20. But what Koivun provides that others don’t is a jolt of energy to an event that will never live up to the Ryder Cup – and it is already working.

One year ago, Koivun played in the Walker Cup – amateur golf’s Ryder Cup. This year, he plays for Team USA in the Presidents Cup.