Jackson Koivun might’ve already arrived, but as this week’s only undefeated player, he undoubtedly showed up in his Presidents Cup debut.
He was just a little late to the winners’ press conference.
“It’s his bedtime!” quipped Justin Thomas before the 21-year-old U.S. rookie slipped in and found his seat.
Koivun’s tardiness was easily forgiven as he’d just wrapped up a 2-0-1 performance at Medinah Country Club with a 2-up victory over arguably the Internationals’ biggest star, Si Woo Kim, in Sunday singles.
It was the type of showing that U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker envisioned when he tabbed the budding superstar as one of his six captain’s picks.
In an unprecedented three seasons at Auburn, Koivun led the Tigers to two NCAA team titles, broke the NCAA record for career scoring average (68.89) and became the first player ever to sweep the three national player of the year awards twice. He turned professional two weeks after sharing low-amateur honors at the U.S. Open, and he won the 3M Open in just his third PGA Tour start as a pro.
While some arguments were made that Koivun hadn’t done enough as a pro to warrant a pick – he’d tallied only one other top-10 finish in his five other pro starts – there was no questioning the talent and potential.
Snedeker didn’t just see Koivun’s inclusion to the team as an investment.
“I had a feeling about him,” Snedeker said. “I don’t know what it was, just being around him, talking to people, knowing what he accomplished, I felt like he was ready for the stage.”
Koivun compiled a 20-7-1 record as an amateur between college competition, U.S. Amateurs and the 2025 Walker Cup, where he went 3-1 at Cypress Point. But he admitted none of that truly prepared him for the pressure he faced at Medinah.
“I don’t think I’ve ever shook on a golf course like I did on Thursday on the first tee,” Koivun said. “At the same time, I couldn’t stop smiling. I was really excited to be there, but I was nervous for sure.”
Added Thomas, Koivun’s fourballs partner: “I’ll never in my life forget the smile he had on his face when he put the tee in the ground on Thursday morning and he was about to hit. I think he kind of blacked out and went to pick up the tee, didn’t pick up the tee. It was just laying right there when I went to go put my tee in the ground. It’s kind of cool to get to experience those moments with someone.”
Koivun had a few more nervy moments in that first match, including not factoring on the first hole after dumping his approach shot in a bunker and then hooking his drive on the second hole out of bounds. And yet, he and Thomas gutted out a half-point.
By Sunday, Koivun was walking in clutch putts, mounting a spirited charge from 2 down through 10 holes, and punctuated his win by stuffing an 8-iron from 157 yards to 8 feet and celebrating with a club twirl eerily similar to the one Tiger Woods displayed at this very competition in 2009.
Still inspiring the next generation. pic.twitter.com/LRavHpJ1t7
— Skratch (@Skratch) September 27, 2026
Snedeker called it the shot of the day.
“I put him in a big spot today, a really big spot,” Snedeker said. “That was a massive match. If we were going to have any chance today, he had to win that match. The guys were cheering in the room last night when we made that decision to put him in that spot. The whole team went crazy because they knew they wanted the kid to go up against Si Woo, and he delivered today in a big way.”
Koivun was asked about his first team-event experience, and he answered like any kid would.
“It’s just exciting being able to call these guys my friends,” Koivun said, “and now when I go to tournaments it’s not like, oh, there’s so and so. It’s like, I was on a team with them, and we won the Presidents Cup.”
The expectation, of course, is that Koivun wins his country much more than this.