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Why the 21-Year-Old Star of the U.S. Presidents Cup Win Should Now Be Everyone’s Favorite Golfer

Andy Nesbitt|
Jackson Koivun went 2-0-1 in his three matches at the Presidents Cup.
Jackson Koivun went 2-0-1 in his three matches at the Presidents Cup. | Michael Reaves/Getty Images

The U.S. team was able to pull off an incredible comeback on Sunday and win the Presidents Cup for the 11th straight time, beating the International team, 17-13. PGA Tour veterans Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele were among the big names who got important wins in their singles matches on the final day.

But there was one young player who became the breakout star of the star-studded team and proved that he is more than ready to become a force in these team competitions for years to come.

Presidents Cup Winners and Losers: Scottie Scheffler Had the Classiest Move in Team USA’s Comeback Win

Jackson Koivun, a 21-year-old who was still in college a few months ago, was a gutsy captains pick by Brandt Snedeker. The former Auburn star, who won just about everything during his college career, has been billed as the next face of U.S. golf. Over four days at famed Medinah No. 3 he showed everyone why he’s more than comfortable with the high expectations that have been placed on his shoulders.

While he had some nerves early in his first match on Thursday, he and Justin Thomas went on to put a point on the board for Team USA in the opening session. He then tied his next match on Saturday and closed things out on Sunday by rallying to beat Si Woo Kim 2-up to help push the team to victory. Even more impressive is that fact that he was the only player in the Presidents Cup to not lose a match.

Koivun closed out his week in style on Sunday, as he posed like Tiger Woods after striping an approach shot on 18 that landed eight feet from the hole and clinched his victory.

Look at the swagger he had after hitting that shot:

His club twirl reminded a lot of people about Tiger’s iconic one at the 2009 Presidents Cup.

Everyone knew going into the Presidents Cup that Koivun was an extremely good golfer. What we didn’t know was how he’d react to playing on such a big stage while facing the pressure of having to prove that he belonged among the other veteran players on the U.S. team.

Well, he passed that test with flying colors. Not only did he show that he could hit big shots when all the lights were on him, but he also seemed to thrive in those moments.

Here he is on the first day walking in a big putt:

Then on Sunday was feeling even more comfortable.

Koivun played a lot of match play events during his college and amateur career, which must have helped in at Medinah.

"I just love match play—any match play event I can get into I just really thoroughly enjoy,” he said Sunday evening. “Obviously the Presidents Cup is on another stage from the Walker Cup, but that’s no knock on the Walker Cup. The Walker Cup is another special event as well.”

Snedeker, who took a lot of heat for some of his decisions over the first three days, was rewarded in a big way for picking Koivun to be on the team. After the win, he sounded like everyone who had watched what Koivun did on Sunday.

“I thought he brought everything and more,” Snedeker said. “He’s obviously a great player, but he’s a great kid. Super locked into what he’s doing. He’s an unbelievable competitor. I had a feeling about him. 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.”

Over the years, Team USA has had big-name players on the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup teams but what they’ve lacked are guys who go all in and play with the fire and emotion that Koivun displayed during his three matches at Medinah. The U.S. needs more guys like him going forward, especially in the Ryder Cup where the Europeans have been so dominant lately.

Justin Thomas, who was paired up twice with Koivun and plays with the same intensity in these events, loved what he saw from the kid.

“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,” Thomas said. “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. Yeah, it was cool to watch.

“I hate to give him as much credit as I am, but he is really good at golf. He’s really just—he gets it; he’s very mature. It just was really cool to kind of just watch him do his thing.”

Hopefully we get to watch Koivun do his thing for years to come, because what he did at Medinah was fun as hell.

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Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.

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