Jackson Koivun (born May 23, 2005) is an American amateur golfer. He is currently attending Auburn University, where he as a freshman had one of the best seasons in collegiate golf history. In 2024, he won the SEC Championship, was runner-up at the NCAA Division I Men's Individual Championship, and became the first player ever to sweep all four major collegiate awards in the same season, the Haskins Award, Jack Nicklaus Award, Ben Hogan Award and Phil Mickelson Award.[1]
| Jackson Koivun | |||||||||||||
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | May 23, 2005 San Jose, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||||||||||||
| Sporting nationality |  United States | ||||||||||||
| Residence | Auburn, Alabama, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Career | |||||||||||||
| College | Auburn University | ||||||||||||
| Status | Amateur | ||||||||||||
| Achievements and awards | |||||||||||||
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Early life
editKoivun was born on May 23, 2005, in San Jose, California and grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.[2][3] He learned golf from his father George at a young age, and says he beat his dad for the first time when he was seven.[4]
Amateur career
editIn AJGA events, Koivun lost a playoff in 2021 and won the 2022 Rolex Tournament of Champions. He won the 2022 Junior Presidents Cup with the U.S. national team.[5]
Koivun was the top ranked recruit in the class of 2023.[6][7] He enrolled at Auburn University and started playing with he Auburn Tigers men's golf team, where he as a freshman in 2024 he recorded one of the best seasons in collegiate golf history. He won the SEC Championship by six shots and only finished outside the top-six once in 13 starts, and had the lowest adjusted scoring average (67.3) in the NCAA.[8][9] He finished in a tie for second at the 2024 NCAA Division I Men's Individual Championship, and led the Auburn team to win the national title, the first in program history.[10]
He was 7–0 in matchplay over the season, leading Auburn to 10 tournament victories, and was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year. He became the first player to win all four major collegiate awards, the Haskins Award, Jack Nicklaus Award, Ben Hogan Award and Phil Mickelson Award, in the same season.[1]
Koivun made his PGA Tour debut in the 2024 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village, having earned a spot through winning the Jack Nicklaus Award. He made the cut and earned his 15th point in the PGA Tour University Accelerated Program, five points shy of the 20-points that will earn him a PGA Tour card and join Gordon Sargent, the first golfer to reach the threshold.[8]
Following his freshman season with Auburn University, Koivun was the third-ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, behind Gordon Sargent, and Christo Lamprecht.[11]
Amateur wins
edit- 2019 UHY St. Louis Junior
- 2021 Northern California Junior Championship, Jack Burke Jr. Invitational
- 2022 Rolex Tournament of Champions
- 2023 Dustin Johnson World Junior Championship
- 2024 Wake Forest Invitational, SEC Championship
Source:[5]
U.S. national team appearances
edit- Junior Presidents Cup: 2022 (winners)
- Arnold Palmer Cup: 2024 (winners)
Source:[5]
References
edit- ^ a b Jourdan, Cameron (June 3, 2024). "Auburn's Jackson Koivun wins Nicklaus Award, is first to sweep college golf postseason honors". Golfweek. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ "Jackson Koivun - Men's Golf 2023-24". Auburn Tigers Athletics. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ "Auburn Freshman Wins Ben Hogan Award". Fort Worth Inc. May 21, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ Kulasingham, Joel (June 6, 2024). "12 Things You Didn't Know About Jackson Koivun". Golf Monthly. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Jackson Koivun". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ Cole, Adam (May 13, 2024). "'He knows what it takes': Freshman phenom Jackson Koivun wasting no time with Auburn golf". Opelika-Auburn News. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ Caldwell, Jason (June 3, 2024). "Koivun wins Nicklaus Award, earns spot in The Memorial". 247Sports. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ a b Hodowanic, Paul. "Auburn freshman Jackson Koivun makes cut at the Memorial in PGA Tour debut, one step closer to earning card". PGA Tour. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Shedloski, Dave (June 8, 2024). "Did we just see the best season by a freshman in men's college golf history?". Golf Digest. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ Leighfield, Jonny (May 28, 2024). "Brutal Break Costs Auburn Freshman Jackson Koivun Chance At NCAA Men's Individual Championship Title And A Trip To The Masters". Golf Monthly. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Romine, Brentley (June 8, 2024). "How Auburn rising sophomore Jackson Koivun could have a PGA Tour card by next summer". NBC Sports. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
External links
edit- Jackson Koivun at the PGA Tour official site
- Jackson Koivun at the Official World Golf Ranking official site