The Auburn men’s golf team has never had a golfer like Jackson Koivun.
Although he’s only a freshman and hasn’t even completed his inaugural season in college, Koivun is making his mark as one of the best Tigers in program history. He had one of the best regular seasons in team history, and he’s prepared to lead the top-ranked Tigers into the SEC Championship and NCAA postseason.
All he has to do is continue to play like he has in his first 10 events.
Look no further than the Auburn record books, which is going to need plenty of updating after this season.
Just in Auburn’s 10 regular-season events, Koivun has set the freshman records for top-10 finishes (9), rounds in the 60s (13) and sub-par rounds (21).
But forget just freshman records. Koivun is on pace to break the single-season scoring average mark (he’s at 69.47; the old mark is Brendan Valdes at 70.03 last year); Koivun has twice tied the 54-hole tournament scoring mark of 17 under and if he continues at his current pace, he could set the mark for single-season sub-par rounds (24), rounds in the 60s (16) and top-10 finishes (9).
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“He came out of high school as the best junior in the country, and he’s just very mature,” Auburn coach Nick Clinard said. “He’s got a calmness and maturity about him on and off the golf course.”
A lot of those attributes Clinard credits to Koivun are things he has worked on since arriving on campus.
Last summer, Koivun struggled during the Elite Amateur Series. His best showing was at the Western Amateur, where he had three rounds in the 60s but still missed the match-play cut.
Heading into the U.S. Amateur, he didn’t have many expectations, but whatever he did had, he blew them out of the water.
“You know, you get up there and you see all of these names,” Koivun said. “All these people that have done all these things. But I started making a run, and it opened my eyes that I belong here and I can do great things as an amateur.”
Koivun earned the No. 32 seed for match play and won 1 up in the Round of 64. Then he took down top-seeded Blades Brown 4 and 3 in the Round of 32. Up next, he dispatched Matthew Sutherland in 19 holes to move on to the quarterfinals. Then, he took on Nick Dunlap and gave the eventual champion his hardest match of the week, losing in 19 holes.
But Koivun’s mentality changed. He grew tougher and learned a lot about himself. He was ready to compete on the biggest stage and could battle with the best in the amateur game.
And that’s exactly what he has done this season.
In his first collegiate start, he finished T-2 at the Mirabel Maui Jim in Arizona. He added two more top-10 finishes and a T-19 to close out the fall.
The spring has been even better. He has lost to only 10 golfers in six starts, picked up his first victory at the Wake Forest Invitational at Pinehurst No. 2 and his worst finish is T-4. He’s squarely in contention for the Phil Mickelson Award, given to the nation’s top freshman, and the Fred Haskins Award, given to the nation’s top player.
“It’s great to play good golf in the fall and the spring,” Koivun said, “but nationals is where it’s all at. It’s make or break. That’s where my attention has been at.”
Clinard said Koivun’s practice has improved since he got to Auburn, meaning he’s more focused during practice and not just pounding golf balls on the range like a lot of juniors do. Having one of the best teams int he country helps, too, with many of his teammates also pushing Koivun.
Qualifying rounds can be pretty competitive, leading to some animated competition between teammates, but all of that has pushed Koivun to be one of the best golfers in the country this year. As a squad, Auburn has lost to only four teams all season.
If the rankings are any indication, SECs should come down to No. 1 Auburn and No. 2 Vanderbilt for the title. Perhaps Koivun will match up with Vanderbilt superstar and World No. 1 Gordon Sargent come match play.
It’s something he would welcome because he knows it would be a growing experience, win or lose.
Koivun’s father, George, taught him the game. Koivun guesses the first time he beat his dad was when he was 7, but he attributes where he is now to his parents for their teaching and guidance. Clinard said that guidance is a big foundation for Koivun, and he has only grown as he has come into his own.
“He’s like a sponge,” Clinard said of Koivun. “He wants to learn. He wants to get better. He wants to know what it’s going to be like on Tour and what it’s going to be like when pins are tucked and greens are firmer and faster. And what he has to do to win, not just play well.”
Those lessons instilled in Koivun since his junior days have grown as he has gotten comfortable in college, and he has become one of the best amateurs in the game.
Koivun has put together one of the best seasons in Auburn history, but as he acknowledges, it’s what he does in the postseason that matters the most.