07/28/26 04:06:00
Printable Page
07/28 16:04 CDT Jackson Koivun is a PGA Tour winner in three starts and needs
time to see where he goes
Jackson Koivun is a PGA Tour winner in three starts and needs time to see where
he goes
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
For a sport with a reputation for moving slowly, golf always seems to be in a
hurry to appoint the next big star.
Jackson Koivun is next on the list and certainly worth watching.
It's not just because he won a PGA Tour event --- which included the No. 1
player in the world --- just two months after leaving college. Remember, it was
only two years ago when Nick Dunlap won The American Express (Scottie Scheffler
played that one, too) while he was a sophomore at Alabama.
Different about Koivun is that he carried the expectations of being the No. 1
amateur in the world. He won six times in college, swept all the awards as the
best player, led Auburn to another NCAA title and last year had three straight
top-10 finishes in PGA Tour events without ever looking as though the moment
was too big.
And then in his third start as a pro, Koivun shot 61 on Saturday in the 3M Open
after Scheffler had set the target, and then held off Scheffler and everyone
else with a 66 and a three-shot victory.
That he played bogey-free on the weekend --- only three other PGA Tour winners
this year have done that --- speaks to his poise. There's also the three words
he writes on his golf glove --- confidence, trust, dominate. That last word he
came up with at Auburn "because I just want to go see how good I can play."
He can play.
So where does he go now? For starters, the Rocket Classic this week in Detroit.
Koivun, who earned his card a year ago as the No. 1 player in the PGA Tour
University accelerated program for underclassmen, moved to No. 70 in the FedEx
Cup with his victory at the 3M Open. Two tournaments remain for the top 70 to
qualify for the postseason. That would be impressive.
But that's not enough. There already is chatter about Koivun being an option
for Brandt Snedeker to take as a captain's pick for the Presidents Cup in
September.
The notion would seem to follow Europe (never a bad idea when it comes to a
cup) when Ludvig Aberg of Sweden was No. 1 in the PGA Tour University ranking
in 2023. He didn't win until his ninth start as a pro --- at the European
Masters in Switzerland --- but the polish and power were so evident that Luke
Donald put him on the Ryder Cup team in Italy.
The idea was to take a player expected to be on many teams for many years and
give him a taste of team competition early, especially a home game. It worked
out well for Aberg, who went 2-2 in Rome, and ended the year matching the PGA
Tour scoring record (253) to win at Sea Island.
The Presidents Cup is nothing like the Ryder Cup, of course. The greatest value
would be getting comfortable in a team environment --- although Koivun did play
in the Walker Cup at Cypress Point last September --- and getting phone numbers
for group chats with players he still hasn't met.
Picking someone so raw wouldn't be all that unusual on the American side.
Jordan Spieth won his first PGA Tour event at age 19 --- he started the year
without a card and won in his 15th start as a pro --- and he was picked for the
2013 Presidents Cup. Spieth qualified for the postseason and in the second
playoff event in Boston shot a 62 on the final day. That led Phil Mickelson to
text U.S. captain Fred Couples, "Dude, you've got to pick this guy."
He did, and Spieth played on nine of the next 10 U.S. teams. Two years after
that pick, Spieth won the Masters and U.S. Open, had a chance at all four
majors and reached No. 1 in the world.
Is that the road awaiting Koivun? He clearly has the game and can handle the
stage.
Even so, golf is best viewed with a wide lens.
There was another California native once looked upon as golf's next big thing.
Matthew Wolff had enormous power and a knack for big moments, leading Oklahoma
State to the NCAA title in 2018 and then crushing the field the next year to
win the NCAA individual title, one of six college wins.
Wolff turned pro and won the 3M Open in his third start in 2019, making eagle
on the final hole to beat Bryson DeChambeau and Collin Morikawa. Wolff finished
No. 70 in the FedEx Cup in just six starts, but he lasted only one playoff
event.
The Presidents Cup had four captain's picks in 2019 (Tiger Woods used one of
them on himself for Royal Melbourne) and Wolff was a never a big part of the
conversation.
One year later, Wolff had the 54-hole lead in the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot
and was on the verge of veritable stardom until DeChambeau raced past him to
win. Within six months, Wolff was struggling with expectations and mental
health issues. And then in 2022, he was off to LIV Golf.
Aberg has taken his lumps along the way --- he has won just once since that
blazing start right out of Texas Tech. Morikawa, who won in his sixth start as
a pro, had two majors a little more than two years after leaving Cal. Scheffler
was part of that age group and took nearly four years to win. And then he
didn't stop winning.
"I had a decent college career, but by no means was I a can't-miss type of
prospect," Scheffler said.
Koivun fits that mold. He had a great college career. He already has the hype
and he already has a trophy. It will be fascinating to see where he goes, how
quickly he gets there, how long he lasts.
Give it time.
___
On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season. AP golf:
https://apnews.com/hub/golf
|
