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USA Today
27-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Auburn's Jackson Koivun earns PGA Tour card after top-10 finish at NCAA Men's Golf Championship
Auburn's Jackson Koivun earns PGA Tour card after top-10 finish at NCAA Men's Golf Championship Show Caption Hide Caption Drone flyover video of Omni La Costa North Course par-3 16th hole Omni La Costa is hosting the NCAA mens and womens golf championships for a second year in a row. The North Course's 16th hole is the final par-3. CARLSBAD, Calif. — Jackson Koivun has job security down the road. The sophomore at Auburn finished tied for fourth Monday after the stroke-play portion at the 2025 NCAA Men's Golf Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, and in the process he locked up his PGA Tour card via PGA Tour University Accelerated. The top-10 finish gave Koivun his 20th Accelerated point, enough to earn his card. He joins Gordon Sargent and Luke Clanton as the only players to earn their card via Accelerated. Koivun will defer his card until 2026 after his junior season. 'It feels good to go out and earn it by playing some golf, and what better place to do it than when you're surrounded by all your friends and teammates at the national championship,' Koivun said. 'I love Auburn, and I think college golf is in such a good spot right now. I feel like it's going to continually prepare me for the PGA Tour." Koivun's path to the PGA Tour started as a freshman, when he swept all the national postseason awards and helped guide the Tigers to their first national championship in school history. He has also made three cuts over the past year on Tour, coming at the 2024 Memorial Tournament, 2025 Farmers Insurance Open and 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational. This spring, Koivun was again a finalist for the Fred Haskins Award, the Heisman Trophy of college golf, and the Ben Hogan Award. He won his second consecutive SEC individual championship and then won the NCAA Auburn Regional before the T-4 finish at Omni La Costa, that coming on the heels of a T-2 finish at nationals as a freshman. Koivun and the Tigers earned the No. 2 seed in match play, where it will face Virginia in the quarterfinals Tuesday. He wasn't the only player to lock up PGA Tour playing privileges Monday, as North Carolina senior David Ford finished first in the PGA Tour University Class of 2025 rankings to earn his PGA Tour card, too.
USA Today
25-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Why Auburn's Jackson Koivun would wait to turn pro if he earns PGA Tour card Monday
Why Auburn's Jackson Koivun would wait to turn pro if he earns PGA Tour card Monday Show Caption Hide Caption Drone flyover video of Omni La Costa North Course par-4 15th hole Omni La Costa is hosting the NCAA mens and womens golf championships for a second year in a row. The North Course's 15th hole is a challenging par 4. CARLSBAD, Calif. — Jackson Koivun can earn his PGA Tour card on Monday. If he did, he could play on the PGA Tour in two weeks as a full-time member. The sophomore at Auburn sits at 19 points in the PGA Tour University Accelerated, one away from earning a PGA Tour card. The caveat? Koivun is going to lock up that point in the next couple of weeks anyway. When he tees it up at the Arnold Palmer Cup next month at Congaree, he will have his PGA Tour card and be able to take up membership after his junior season. Or, he could finished in the top 10 at the 2025 NCAA Men's Golf Championship on Monday and lock up his card now, giving him the ability to turn pro after the championship, joining Luke Clanton and Gordon Sargent as college players turning pro thanks to PGA Tour U Accelerated. "I've been thinking about it a little bit," Koivun said. "I think it's definitely a little easier on the mind knowing that it's kind of already there, but it would be cool with the top 10 this week to finally get that. It's kind of been weighing on me for a while now, but at the end of the day, I know I'm going to get it and just trying to go play golf and try to represent Auburn." Koivun finished T-2 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa last year, a fitting end to a dominant freshman campaign that saw him win the Fred Haskins Award, Ben Hogan Award and Jack Nicklaus Award. This year, he has three victories, including his second straight SEC Championship and the NCAA Auburn Regional on his home course. In the fall of 2023, Vanderbilt's Sargent earned his 20th point but deferred turning pro and returned for his senior season. Clanton didn't have a point in Accelerated a year ago but earned his 20th in February, making the cut at his hometown event in Florida. They'll both make their professional debuts in two weeks at the RBC Canadian Open. With a top 10 Sunday, Koivun would earn his card and be able to join Clanton and Sargent, but that's not the plan. "I'll be going back to Auburn," Koivun said Sunday after a 1-under 71 in the third round of the NCAA Championship, where he sits T-7 after the morning wave. The plan was always to return to Auburn, which he helped win its first national championship last year. After three rounds, the Tigers are in first and a virtual lock to make match play, which begins Tuesday. Koivun never wavered even as he racked up points and came close to securing his card. He said he spoke a bit with Clanton and Sargent about the pressure of chasing the card and accomplishing the feat like they did. "The easiest thing to do is just try to put it as far out of your mind as you can," he said. "This game is full of stress, and at the end of the day, anything we can do to take stress off of us and just go play freely is great." Come Monday, there could be a ceremony to celebrate his accomplishment. But his future is on the plains at least one more year, and Koivun and the Tigers' focus the rest of the week is on trying to go back-to-back.
USA Today
20-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Florida State junior Luke Clanton wins 2025 Ben Hogan Award
Florida State junior Luke Clanton wins 2025 Ben Hogan Award Show Caption Hide Caption Drone flyover video of Omni La Costa North Course par-4 15th hole Omni La Costa is hosting the NCAA mens and womens golf championships for a second year in a row. The North Course's 15th hole is a challenging par 4. Florida State junior Luke Clanton won the 2025 Ben Hogan Award, it was announced Monday. The annual award – which honors the top men's college golfer based on collegiate, amateur and professional events over the previous 12 months – was announced Monday at a dinner at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. other finalists included North Carolina senior David Ford and Auburn sophomore Jackson Koivun, who won the Hogan in 2024. Clanton won four times collegiately this season, including last week at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional. His best performances came in PGA Tour events, though, where he has made 10 of 13 cuts in the past year, finishing runner-up twice. Clanton earned his PGA Tour card earlier this year through PGA Tour University Accelerated when he made the cut at his hometown event, the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches. His first start as a pro will be next month at the RBC Canadian Open. Clanton was voted the winner by a selection committee made up of nearly three dozen leaders and experts in college, amateur and professional golf. In addition, all past award winners were eligible to vote in the final round, casting a ballot to rank the three finalists. He is one of 10 finalists for the Haskins Award, which will be announced next Tuesday. The Fred Haskins Award presented by Stifel is given to the Player of the Year in men's college golf.
USA Today
09-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Amateur Jackson Koivun is one point away from his PGA Tour card. Here's when he'll likely earn it
Amateur Jackson Koivun is one point away from his PGA Tour card. Here's when he'll likely earn it Show Caption Hide Caption Jackson Koivun on whether he's inspired by what Luke Clanton has done Auburn sophomore Jackson Koivun talks about whether Luke Clanton earning his PGA Tour card has inspired Koivun in his pursuit of one. Auburn sophomore golfer Jackson Koivun finished 6-over par at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, earning valuable PGA Tour experience. Koivun is on the verge of earning his PGA Tour card through the PGA Tour University Accelerated program. The reigning college player of the year needs just one more eligible tournament appearance to reach the 20-point threshold for a Tour card. Jackson Koivun had to take two tests Saturday night before his final round at the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday. "Finance and kinesiology," Koivun said following his closing 75 at Bay Hill Club & Lodge. The sophomore at Auburn has learned plenty during a flurry of PGA Tour starts he has made dating to last summer. But in the middle of the school year, Koivun said time management is one of the biggest keys he has learned. The lone amateur in the field, Koivun made the cut after shooting matching even-par 72s during the first two rounds. That earned him his 19th point in PGA Tour University Accelerated, meaning a top 10 on the weekend would make him the latest amateur to earn their PGA Tour card via the Accelerated avenue. Koivun's time has to wait, however. He shot 75 on both weekend rounds and finished at 6 over for the week, though not a bad result for the 20-year-old who's the reigning college player of the year. "Obviously played pretty solid on Thursday, Friday, and the weekend kind of got to me," Koivun said. "Course got really tough, and I wasn't hitting it like I wanted to. But just trying to take notes, trying to learn everything I can so I can just soak up information from these guys." Koivun said he likely won't make another PGA Tour start until this summer, instead focusing on trying to help Auburn defend its national title. But Koivun doesn't need to worry about making another start on Tour because he's going to earn his card by this summer. Koivun had an exemption into the API thanks to his participation on the Arnold Palmer Cup team last summer. It's an event he's a virtual lock to represent the U.S. in again this summer, and doing so will net him two points and get him past the 20-point threshold, which rewards a PGA Tour card. Even if Koivun doesn't play the Palmer Cup, the world's secnod-ranked amateur is bound to be one of the United States' top players in September in the 2025 Walker Cup at Cypress Point in California. A Walker Cup appearance nets three Accelerated points, thus another avenue for Koivun to earn his card. Once he reaches 20 points, Koivun will join Vanderbilt senior Gordon Sargent and Florida State junior Luke Clanton as players to earn a card via Accelerated. Clanton, the top-ranked amateur in the world, did so last week after making the cut at the Cognizant Classic. Sargent earned his card as a junior and decided to return to school this year, and he'll turn pro after the college season. Clanton, though he hasn't publicly announced his plans, is likely to turn pro considering his PGA Tour success since last summer. For Koivun, he previously stated he would likely come back to Auburn for his junior year, even if he earned his card before that. His time to make that decision will come. For now, he has another week under his belt preparing for his future. "It's just one step closer," he said of his performance at Arnie's Place. "I'm very close. It's right in front of me. My time will come when I get that card and, yeah, it means a lot."
USA Today
07-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Auburn sophomore Jackson Koivun is one step closer to earning his PGA Tour card
Auburn sophomore Jackson Koivun is one step closer to earning his PGA Tour card Show Caption Hide Caption Jackson Koivun on whether he's inspired by what Luke Clanton has done Auburn sophomore Jackson Koivun talks about whether Luke Clanton earning his PGA Tour card has inspired Koivun in his pursuit of one. Auburn sophomore golfer Jackson Koivun is one point away from earning his PGA Tour card after making the cut at the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Koivun needs 20 points in the PGA Tour University Accelerated program to earn his Tour card. He is the first freshman to win the Haskins, Hogan and Nicklaus Awards in the same year. A week after Luke Clanton earned his PGA Tour card while still in college, Jackson Koivun is now one step closer to joining him. The PGA Tour University Accelerated program provides a pathway to the big leagues for the top players in men's college golf. A player needs 20 points to reach the plateau, and Koivun is now at 19 after earning a point Friday by making the cut at the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Friday in Orlando, the Auburn sophomore birdied the 18th hole to post a second consecutive 72 on the difficult Bay Hill Club & Lodge course. "I try not to think about it too much, just kind of let it happen. I know good golf takes care of itself. Go out there, play good, try to put myself into a good spot for hopefully that top 10 and obviously a made cut means a lot," he said after his round Friday. "My goal today was trying to inch up the leaderboard as much as I could. But I don't know if even's going to really catch that goal, but at the end of the day making that cut means a lot." Last season, he became the first freshman to win the Haskins, Hogan and Nicklaus Awards in the same year. He was runner-up at the national championship while also helping the Tigers win their first team title, a win that came over Clanton's Florida State squad. Koivun has said he would return to Auburn for his junior season, regardless of whether he earned his Tour card this year. As for this week, he was asked what he's learned from playing alongside the pros for what is now his fourth start on the PGA Tour. "Just how good their short games are, really. It seems like they can make up-and-down from anywhere. That's definitely something I need to work on, kind of inside a hundred yards," he said. "They all hit the ball so well, I feel like I could throw myself up in there with how they hit it, but how they manage their games, knowing exactly where they want to hit it, being smart about that and just even if they miss a shot it feels like they're having a good look to chip in or just have a kick-in par."
