Jackson Koivun, three months out of Auburn and with only a handful of PGA Tour starts, has been named to the U.S. Presidents Cup team.
U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker selected the 21-year-old phenom Tuesday as one of six captain’s picks for the matches Sept. 24-27 at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago. Koivun joins automatic qualifiers Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns, Russell Henley and Collin Morikawa, plus fellow picks Chris Gotterup, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay and Jacob Bridgeman.
The choice is a departure from recent U.S. teams that favored experience. Koivun turned professional after the U.S. Open in June, where he finished tied for 23rd as an amateur. In a compressed pro schedule he missed the cut in his debut at the John Deere Classic, tied for 10th at the ISCO Championship, then won the 3M Open in his third start by holding off world No. 1 Scheffler. He followed with mid-pack finishes at the Rocket Classic and Wyndham Championship before tying for 24th at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, enough to reach the playoffs in just five events.
He is the first player since Jordan Spieth in 2013 to begin a season without a PGA Tour card and still make a Presidents Cup team, and the youngest American selected since Spieth.
“I think he’s a great young talent. I think he’s proven himself to go out there and do what he did at 3M and stare Scottie Scheffler down on the back nine and not blink. That was very impressive,” Snedeker said. “I spent a lot of time researching him.” The captain added he has “a gut feeling about this kid” and expects Koivun to handle pressure in match play.
Koivun, who swept college player-of-the-year honors twice and helped Auburn win a national title, called the selection an honor.
“I’m just happy he took a chance on me. I’m going to give it my all,” he said.
Snedeker passed over higher-ranked players such as Ryan Gerard. Analysts noted Koivun’s match-play pedigree from NCAA and Walker Cup competition, plus the long-term value of giving a projected decade-long team fixture early experience at a home venue.
The United States has not lost the Presidents Cup in 28 years. The International team, captained by Geoff Ogilvy, will try to end that streak at the renovated Medinah course.
