Jackson Koivun (born May 23, 2005) is an American amateur golfer. He is currently attending Auburn University, where he as a freshman had one of the best seasons in collegiate golf history. In 2024, he won the SEC Championship, was runner-up at the NCAA Division I Men's Individual Championship, and became the first player ever to sweep all four major collegiate awards in the same season, the Haskins Award, Jack Nicklaus Award, Ben Hogan Award and Phil Mickelson Award.[1]
Early life
Koivun was born on May 23, 2005, in San Jose, California and grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.[2][3] He learned golf from his father George at a young age, and says he beat his dad for the first time when he was seven.[4]
Koivun was the top ranked recruit in the class of 2023.[6][7] He enrolled at Auburn University and started playing with he Auburn Tigers men's golf team, where he as a freshman in 2024 he recorded one of the best seasons in collegiate golf history. He won the SEC Championship by six shots and only finished outside the top-six once in 13 starts, and had the lowest adjusted scoring average (67.3) in the NCAA.[8][9] He finished in a tie for second at the 2024 NCAA Division I Men's Individual Championship, and led the Auburn team to win the national title, the first in program history.[10]
He was 7–0 in matchplay over the season, leading Auburn to 10 tournament victories, and was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year. He became the first player to win all four major collegiate awards, the Haskins Award, Jack Nicklaus Award, Ben Hogan Award and Phil Mickelson Award, in the same season.[1]
Koivun made his PGA Tour debut in the 2024 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village, having earned a spot through winning the Jack Nicklaus Award. He made the cut and earned his 15th point in the PGA Tour University Accelerated Program, five points shy of the 20-points that will earn him a PGA Tour card and join Gordon Sargent, the first golfer to reach the threshold.[8]
