After seeing fellow college star Luke Clanton secure his PGA Tour card last week, Jackson Koivun has a chance to follow suit at this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational as a sponsor exemption, but the Auburn sophomore isn’t putting any added pressure on himself.
“It’s hard not to think about that, knowing going into an event if I top-10, I can get my PGA Tour card,” said Koivun, who is two points shy of earning his card via the PGA Tour University accelerated pathway. “But just trying to put that in the back of my mind and go play like I know I can. If everything falls into place, that’s great, but at the end of the day I’m just trying to come out here and have fun.”
Koivun, 19, is in position to secure his card this week at Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Fla., mainly because of his tremendous freshman season that included two victories (including the SEC championship) and five second-place finishes, including the NCAA championship.
The native of San Jose, Calif., who grew up in Chapel Hill, N.C., also became just the eighth player to win the Haskins Award, Hogan Award and Nicklaus Award as college player of the year, which gave him nine more points.
Koivun also received four points for being No. 2 in the world amateur rankings and another point for being selected to play in the 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup. From there, his Palmer Cup teammates voted for one player to receive the exemption into the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and they chose him.
“It was definitely something really special to be voted on by my peers,” said Koivun, who finished 52nd at The Memorial last June and tied for 56th at the Farmers Insurance Open in January. “There’s a lot of really, really good golfers on that team, and for them to select me, it means a lot to be able to come out here at Bay Hill this week and try to go compete.”
Reflecting on the athletes he grew up admiring, Koivun pointed to two of golf’s all-time greats in Palmer and Tiger Woods.
“It’s hard not to say the names like Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer,” he said. “Arnold Palmer had such a great legacy, what he stood for, and obviously his golf game was very, very good.
“I really idolized Tiger’s mindset. When he goes out he tries to win and he tries to beat everyone, and that’s something not a lot of guys have. It’s impressive and something I try to do as well.”
If Koivun doesn’t finish in the top 10 to earn his final two points, just making the cut at Bay Hill will earn him one more point and bring him to 19.
–Field Level Media
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