It took Jackson Koivun less than a month into his professional career to hoist his first trophy as a PGA Tour winner.
Talk about efficiency.
With the current stars facing Father Time, the Tour is searching for its next star and the golf world is cautiously optimistic that Koivun could be that guy.
We’ve got you covered on everything you need to know about Koivun, sourced from a mix of public data and an actual conversation with Koivun’s former head coach at Auburn, Nick Clinard.
Get your popcorn ready—the feature film is about to start.
Here are a handful of facts and a few stories from Coach Clinard himself.
1. He is not a country club kid
Koivun was born and raised in the San Jose, California, area where he grew up on public courses. Santa Teresa Golf Club and Cinnabar Hills Golf Club were his first public tracks.
He was a beneficiary of Youth On Course, a non-profit organization that helps junior golfers play rounds of golf at public facilities for $5 or less. That helped mold him into the player he is today.
After his first three years of high school at Archbishop Mitty in San Jose were severely disrupted by the pandemic, Koivun moved across the country to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where he felt he would have more opportunity to develop his game. His parents, George and Meghan, decided to relocate the family across the country right before his final year of high school.
The move paid off in a major way as Koivun earned a scholarship at Auburn and immediately had success.
2. His sights are set on the Presidents Cup
According to Clinard, Koivun has his sights set on making the U.S. Presidents Cup team this fall.
While working to schedule Auburn’s national championship ring ceremony, Clinard coordinated with Koivun’s agent to find a weekend that worked for everyone. They eventually settled on Sept. 26-27—until Koivun informed Clinard that he plans on making the 2026 Presidents Cup which takes place that weekend.
Clinard described Koivun as someone who is very humble but truly believes in himself. That’s a dangerous combination.
If Koivun, 21, finishes the season strong and earns a spot on the U.S. team, he would become one of the youngest Americans ever to compete in the Presidents Cup. Jordan Spieth was just 20 years old when he played in the 2013 Presidents Cup.
3. He signed with Malbon Golf in June
Last month, Malbon Golf announced a partnership with Koivun as he joined a handful of other golfers such as Jason Day and Charley Hull.
Malbon Golf is clearly working to engage the new generation of golfers and who better to lead this venture than one of the faces of the new generation?
You can view Malbon’s “KOIVUN” section by clicking the link below.
4. Koivun is the only 3-time SEC Player Of The Year
Koivun is the only golfer to win SEC Player of the Year three times.
Some people might even argue that he’s the most decorated college golfer of all time. Data Golf ranks Koivun as the best amateur to come out of college since 2010. That puts him ahead of previous amateur standouts like Jon Rahm.
To name a few other accomplishments from his three years of college competition: he racked up 11 individual tournament wins, became the first golfer to win all three national player of the year awards twice (Haskins, Hogan, Nicklaus) and took home hardware from the 2025 Walker Cup.
In the 2025-2026 season alone, Koivun won six times with a scoring average of 68.20 across 13 tournaments.
5. He’s a golf sicko
Here at MyGolfSpy, we love golf sickos. Coach Clinard told a vivid story of how much of a golf sicko Koivun truly is.
Koivun became ill during a tournament in Athens, Ga., but powered through, finishing inside the top 10. After a long day of golf and travel, they got back to campus around 8 p.m.—about an hour later, Clinard found out Koivun was on the putting green with four putters and a flashlight.
Surely this is one of the reasons Koivun ranked top three in Strokes Gained: Putting during his first win at the 3M Open.
6. He outdueled Scottie Scheffler for his first pro win
If you missed the final round of the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities, watch the highlights.
The No. 1 player in the world, Scottie Scheffler, played pedal to the metal all day, firing a final-round 63. Koivun started the final round with a multiple-shot lead but he didn’t take his foot off the gas, shooting a 66 to close out the tournament and win by three strokes.
After finding the bunker on No. 9, he stood over a 14-foot par putt. I wondered if he might lose his grip on the lead with Scheffler coming in hot but he drained it to shoot three-under on the front nine.
One word to describe Koivun’s young Tour career? Clutch.
7. He’s a scoreboard watcher
Some golfers avoid watching the scoreboard as much as possible so they can focus specifically on their game.
Koivun, on the other hand, is a scoreboard watcher.
When I asked Clinard about Koivun’s defining moment at Auburn, he referenced a round in which Koivun saw on the scoreboard that he was four shots out of the lead with nine holes to play.
He went on to birdie six of the next nine holes and won the tournament after hitting his approach shot to within a foot on the first playoff hole.
Clinard said, “You can see in his eyes. He has a fifth gear.” He added that it’s hard to put into words, but Koivun has that “it factor.”
Some golfers shy away from the pressure that the scoreboard can bring. Koivun embraces it.
8. He was a co-low amateur at the U.S. Open
In his first major championship appearance, Koivun shared low amateur honors with Oklahoma Sooner Ryder Cowan.
Koivun shot two-under in the final round—good enough for 5-over overall and a T-23 finish alongside Cowan. He made 12 birdies during the tournament and may have notched a top-five finish with a better third round (he shot 74 on Saturday).
With his win at TPC Twin Cities, he earned eligibility for all four major championships in 2027 as he looks to become one of the youngest major champions of the modern era.
Top Photo Caption: Jackson Koivun hits a drive during the 3M Open. (GETTY IMAGES/Bailey Hillesheim)
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