Latest news with #Koivun
5 days ago
- Sport
John Daly's son among winners in first round of US Amateur at Olympic Club
SAN FRANCISCO -- The son of two-time major champion John Daly was among 32 players who won their matches Wednesday in the first round of match play at the U.S. Amateur, where five of the top 10 amateurs in the world also advanced at The Olympic Club. John Daly II, a senior-to-be at Arkansas, had a scorecard that looked nothing like the 'wild thing' reputation of his famous father. In a 1-up victory over Cooper Claycomb, Daly won the 11th hole with a birdie and the other 17 holes were halved. Jackson Koivun of Auburn, the No. 1 player in the world amateur ranking, was all square with Ryan Vools until Koivun made par on the 16th for a 1-up lead and closed out his opponent with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 17th. It was Koivun's only birdie of the match. Ben James, the No. 2 amateur in the world and a Virginia senior, had a 2-and-1 victory over Parker Claxton, while fourth-ranked Preston Stout won, 4 and 3, over Pennson Badgett. Two players from the top 10 lost in extra holes. Tommy Morrison of Texas (No. 6) , lost to 18-year-old Mason Howell when Morrison made bogey on the par-5 17th hole with a 1-up lead, and then made double bogey on the 19th hole. Filip Jakubcik (No. 5) lost to Eric Lee in 19 holes. Other top-10 players from the amateur ranking to advance were Jace Summy (No. 7) and Christiaan Maas (No. 9). Tim Wiedenmeyer of Germany staged the biggest comeback. He lost five of the opening seven holes to Reed Greyserman and won his final four holes for a 2-and-1 victory. In one of the most roller-coaster matches of the opening round, the son of a former British golf writer rallied to beat the son of a Ryder Cup stalwart. Niall Shiels Donegan of Scotland, whose father Lawrence was a longtime golf correspondent for The Guardian, birdied the last two holes for a 1-up victory over Luke Poulter, a junior at Florida and the son of Ian Poulter. Donegan was among 17 players who advanced from a 20-man playoff Wednesday morning to determine the final 64 for match play. ___
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
John Daly's son among winners in first round of US Amateur at Olympic Club
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The son of two-time major champion John Daly was among 32 players who won their matches Wednesday in the first round of match play at the U.S. Amateur, where five of the top 10 amateurs in the world also advanced at The Olympic Club. John Daly II, a senior-to-be at Arkansas, had a scorecard that looked nothing like the 'wild thing' reputation of his famous father. In a 1-up victory over Cooper Claycomb, Daly won the 11th hole with a birdie and the other 17 holes were halved. Jackson Koivun of Auburn, the No. 1 player in the world amateur ranking, was all square with Ryan Vools until Koivun made par on the 16th for a 1-up lead and closed out his opponent with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 17th. It was Koivun's only birdie of the match. Ben James, the No. 2 amateur in the world and a Virginia senior, had a 2-and-1 victory over Parker Claxton, while fourth-ranked Preston Stout won, 4 and 3, over Pennson Badgett. Two players from the top 10 lost in extra holes. Tommy Morrison of Texas (No. 6) , lost to 18-year-old Mason Howell when Morrison made bogey on the par-5 17th hole with a 1-up lead, and then made double bogey on the 19th hole. Filip Jakubcik (No. 5) lost to Eric Lee in 19 holes. Other top-10 players from the amateur ranking to advance were Jace Summy (No. 7) and Christiaan Maas (No. 9). Tim Wiedenmeyer of Germany staged the biggest comeback. He lost five of the opening seven holes to Reed Greyserman and won his final four holes for a 2-and-1 victory. In one of the most roller-coaster matches of the opening round, the son of a former British golf writer rallied to beat the son of a Ryder Cup stalwart. Niall Shiels Donegan of Scotland, whose father Lawrence was a longtime golf correspondent for The Guardian, birdied the last two holes for a 1-up victory over Luke Poulter, a junior at Florida and the son of Ian Poulter. Donegan was among 17 players who advanced from a 20-man playoff Wednesday morning to determine the final 64 for match play. ___ AP golf:
San Francisco Chronicle
12-08-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Top amateur golfers compete in S.F. while reaping rewards of college sports' new world
Jackson Koivun sure looked like a professional golfer as he navigated the Olympic Club's Ocean Course on Monday. Koivun's crisp, white Auburn golf shirt included a Footjoy logo. His bag promoted Titleist, his equipment sponsor. He also wore an Old Republic logo on one sleeve and another touting Betterment, a New York-based digital investment platform. That designation carries a different meaning these days, of course, in the era of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals and revenue sharing. The striking transformation of college sports stretches beyond football to reach top golfers such as Koivun, a 20-year-old who grew up in San Jose. So he and the world's other accomplished non-pros (technically) are openly displaying their corporate affiliations this week during the 125th U.S. Amateur in San Francisco – while they chase a prestigious title offering zero prize money. 'It's definitely a little weird,' Koivun said of that curious contrast, 'but it's the world we live in now.' This new world hinges on marketing and name recognition nearly as much as tournament titles. Estimates of Koivun's NIL valuation range from $1.4 million (according to Essentially Sports) to $1.55 million (Golf NIL), a byproduct of two terrific seasons at Auburn. He swept the sport's major awards last year as a freshman. Golf NIL's top 10 features largely the same standout college players who reside near the top of the world amateur ranking, including Michael La Sasso of Ole Miss and Virginia's Ben James. Also on the NIL list: Arkansas' John Daly II, son of the two-time major champion, and Florida's Luke Poulter, son of Ian Poulter, who won three events on the PGA Tour and 12 more on the European Tour. Daly II and the younger Poulter are solid college players who clearly benefit from their dads' fame (Daly II has 212,000 followers on Instagram). The same goes for Tiger Woods' son Charlie, who has an NIL valuation of $2.5 million as a rising high school junior. (Daly II and Poulter are in the field at Olympic, while Woods is not.) That's essentially a projection, though Koivun and James are among those directly benefiting now from the new landscape. 'NIL is great for us – it puts some money in our pocket, which is nice,' Koivun said. 'I'm just thankful I'm at a football school, because they bring in all the money.' Koivun lived in the Bay Area until age 17 and spent all but his senior year of high school at Mitty. Then his family moved to Chapel Hill, N.C., in part so he could be closer to Auburn. He's showing signs of becoming a PGA Tour star one day, in ways beyond his college success. Koivun has made six tour starts this year and finished in the top 11 three times, including a tie for sixth in one event and tie for fifth in another. Put another way: He's giving sponsors reason to bet on his future. James, who stands No. 2 in the world amateur ranking, played Monday's round dressed almost fully in Puma gear. (His caddie even wore a Puma golf hat.) Another key sponsor, Transcend Capital Advisors, has its logo prominently displayed on his bag. James, a senior, acknowledged how much the college golf scene has changed in his four years at Virginia. 'It's a lot different, for sure,' James said. 'I don't know whether it's good or bad. … But it's cool to see so many young college guys playing so well at the highest level.' Players such as James and Koivun hired agents in high school, a reality Koivun described as 'kind of crazy.' There's also this tangible effect of NIL: It probably plays a role in top golfers staying in school rather than bolt for the tour. (Just imagine what kind of NIL earning power Tiger Woods would have had at Stanford.) Koivun said the ability to earn money as a college golfer offers some incentive to stay. He will return to Auburn for his junior year. 'I'm just going to go (pro) whenever I'm ready,' he said. Poulter hired an agent only about two weeks ago, despite his surname and earning potential. His college career started slowly, in part because of a back injury, but he pocketed one victory and five top-10s last season at Florida, where he soon will begin his redshirt junior year. Poulter posted an even-par, opening-round 70 on the Ocean Course, putting himself in good position heading into Tuesday's play. 'I've kind of been trying to play my game and let all that happen,' Poulter said of landing NIL deals. 'So now, because I've been playing a little better, it's coming. … Sometimes, people can get too engrossed in it and their golf suffers.' Briefly: Koivun started strong, shooting 2-under 68 on the Ocean Course on Monday. … NHL referee Garrett Rank posted 2-over 72 on the Ocean. … The field will be cut from 312 players to 64 after Tuesday's round, with match play starting Wednesday on the Lake Course.
New Straits Times
04-08-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Cameron Young cruises to historic first victory, ties scoring record at Wyndham Championship
GREENSBORO: Cameron Young was in such a good position as the Wyndham Championship wound down that he knew he'd have the right finishing touch. Young shot 2-under-par 68 in the final round and wasn't challenged on his way to his first PGA Tour victory yesterday at Greensboro, N.C. "It's the end of my fourth season and I've had my chances — never quite like this," Young said. "I wasn't going to let it get away from me." Young strung together five consecutive early birdies and cruised to a six- stroke triumph at 22-under 258 at Sedgefield Country Club, where he matched the tournament scoring record. Young, who began the day with a five-stroke advantage and held the 54-hole lead for the first time on the tour, became the 1,000th different winner in the history of the PGA Tour. He was a seven-time runner-up on the tour. After tapping in the final putt, Young hugged his caddie and began to walk off the green. "Where do I go?" he said. "I've never done this before." Mac Meissner posted 66 to finish as the runner-up at 16 under. Mark Hubbard (63) and Sweden's Alex Noren (64) tied for third place at 15 under. Amateur Jackson Koivun (67), a junior golfer at Auburn University, Chris Kirk (68), and defending champion Aaron Rai (68) of England shared fifth place at 14 under. Playing not far from the Wake Forest campus where he went to college, Young was in control for most of the tournament. After a bogey on the first hole Sunday, Young put together his string of birdies for what became a nine-stroke advantage. Young then had pars on nine consecutive holes before bogeys on the par-3 16th and par-4 17th. He barely missed a birdie attempt on the last hole. The final margin marked the third-largest winning spread on the tour this year. He became the tour's 12th first-time winner of the season. "I've been waiting for this for a while," he said. Young, who said he maintains his goal of landing a spot on the US Ryder Cup team in a few weeks, tried to make the tournament's final day as normal as possible. "Really did a lot of the same stuff I normally do," Young said. "Really the same morning routine." Colombia's Nico Echavarria, who was in the final pairing with Young, tumbled from the leaderboard with a disastrous stretch on the back nine. After a bogey at No. 10, he carded double-bogeys on the next two holes. His 75 left him tied for 19th place at 10 under. Denny McCarthy matched Hubbard's 63 for the best score Sunday and ended up at 12 under and tied for 11th place. Rookie Karl Vilips posted his first hole-in-one with a 179-yard shot on the third hole using an 8-iron. His 67 put him at 10 under. The tournament marks the final regular-season event on the tour, with golfers needing to finish in the top 70 of the season standings to advance to the FedEx Cup playoffs beginning Thursday. Koivun said he noticed the stress the pros were under during the weekend. "It definitely eye-opening and just something to take in," Koivun said. Kirk played his way into the playoffs by jumping 12 spots since the beginning of the tournament. Davis Thompson (68) ended at 12 under, missing the top-70 position by one spot.
USA Today
09-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Jackson Koivun has best PGA Tour performance of young career at John Deere Championship
Auburn sophomore Jackson Koivun delivered his best performance as a young golfer on the PGA Tour last weekend. The two-time reigning SEC Golfer of the Year finished just three shots behind the eventual champion, Brian Campbell, with a 15-under par weekend showing. Playing in his fourth PGA Tour event of the year and sixth overall, Koivun secured his first career top 25 finish, ending his 72 hole run just outside of the top 10. Auburn's best golfer was the only amueter in the field to make the cut, while he also outperformed his former Tiger teammate Brenden Valdes (E), who turned pro this year, by 15 strokes to par. After a one-under par score of 70 to open up his tournament, the 20-year-old shot the best round of his PGA Tour career on Friday with a 7-under par 64. Koivun kept the pressure on the leaders with a 3-under par 68 on moving day, before ending his weekend with a 4-under 67 on Sunday. The sophomore bogied just one hole on the final day as he chased down the leaders. While Koivun has insisted on staying at Auburn for at least another season before he turns pro, his showing at the John Deere proved once again the 20-year-old is ready to challenge for wins on the PGA Tour. Now coming off a solid showing at the U.S Open and his best four-day performance at the John Deere Classic, Koivun will aim to finish in the top 10 among golfers in the ISCO Championship. It may be his best chance at winning an event yet, as the premier players on tour will be competing in the Genesis Scottish Open this weekend. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter@TheRealBHauch
