We'll Be Keeping Tabs on Jackson Koivun This Week with His Team USA Debut on the Horizon

The Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup, and Walker Cup all reside across the pond after Anna Nordqvist’s squad took care of business in the Netherlands over the weekend. But next week, Team USA has another chance to earn some hardware at a biennial event.

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The Presidents Cup kicks off next Thursday at Medinah, but surprisingly, just two members of Brandt Snedeker’s roster are getting some reps in at the Biltmore Championship Ashville after Justin Thomas withdrew from the field on Sunday: Jackson Koivun and Jacob Bridgeman.

So, now all eyes move to the two captain’s picks—but I’ll be keeping mine on the 21-year-old.

Koivun, highly regarded as golf’s next superstar, has the chance to follow in Scottie Scheffler’s footprints he left behind at the 2021 Ryder Cup. The then-25-year-old was one of Steve Stricker’s six captain’s picks, and he ended up being the most important one.

He played in three matches, winning two and tying the other, with one of those dubs coming against then-World No. 1 Jon Rahm in Sunday Singles. At the time he was winless, but that week in Wisconsin was his version of Tiger’s “Hello, world” moment.

For Koivun, his came at the end of July when he won the 3M Open in just his third professional start, but Medinah offers something entirely different—the chance to establish himself as a Team USA stalwart for the next 15 years.

He dominated match play in college, going 13-4-1 during his career at Auburn. Of course this time around, he won’t be playing against college kids—he’ll be going toe-to-toe with the best players in the world just months after leaving campus.

To help settle him in, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Snedeker pair the young up-and-comer with Scheffler at some point during the week. Not only would they make a borderline unbeatable team, but they play the same golf ball—Titleist Pro V1—which sets up perfectly for foursomes (alternate shot). Plus, given the fact they’re two of the best tee-to-green players in the game—Scheffler ranks first (I know, shocker), and Koivun would rank third if he made enough starts to qualify—that combination would make Geoff Ogilvy’s job very, very difficult.

Since the 3M, Koivun has played, well, okay. His worst finish was a tie for 31st at the Rocket Classic, which says a whole lot about his floor. But his best came in the 69-man field at the FedEx St. Jude Championship where he tied for 24th and failed to advance to the second round of the playoffs.

There’s no doubt he’s in North Carolina this week as a tune-up for next week, given that he hasn’t played on Tour since mid-August. But you’d have to think a win would do a whole lot for his confidence—and seeing as it’s a pretty weak field, I wouldn’t put it past him.