PGA Tour card within Jackson Koivun’s grasp at Arnold Palmer Invitational
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Jackson Koivun is playing at the Arnold Palmer Invitational as a sponsor exemption.
PHOTO: AFP
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BAY HILL – 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 is not putting any added pressure on himself.
“It’s hard not to think about that, knowing going into an event if I’m 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.”
The American, 19, is in position to secure his card this week at Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Florida, mainly because of his tremendous freshman season.
He had clinched two victories (including the SEC championship) and five second-place finishes, including the 2024 NCAA championship, where he was among six players who finished one shot behind Singapore’s Hiroshi Tai.
He became just the eighth player to win the Haskins Award, Ben Hogan Award and Jack 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, he 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 idolised 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.”
In other golf news, Fred Couples said LIV Golf’s Brooks Koepka is anxious to return to the PGA Tour.
“I talk to Brooks Koepka all the time,” said the former world No. 1 and 1992 Masters champion. “I’m not going to say anything extra except I talk to him all the time. He wants to come back. I will say that I believe he really wants to come back and play the tour.”
Koepka, 34, has captured five Major titles – comprising back-to-back US Open victories in 2017 and 2018 and three PGA Championships (2018, 2019, 2023). He bolted the PGA Tour for LIV’s inaugural season in 2022 for a contract worth more than US$100 million (S$134 million). REUTERS
