New pro Jackson Koivun among US Presidents Cup picks
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Jackson Koivun during the final round of the FedEx St Jude Championship at TPC Southwind on Aug 16.
PHOTO: AFP
- US Presidents Cup captain Brandt Snedeker selected three rookies, including 21-year-old Jackson Koivun, focusing on fresh talent for the event at Medinah Country Club from Sept 24 to 27.
- Koivun, ranked 70th globally, impressed by winning the 3M Open and expressed excitement to represent the US, while notable players like J.J. Spaun and LIV Golf stars were omitted.
- The US team have dominated the Presidents Cup, winning 13 of 15 events, while the international team include automatic qualifiers like Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama, with both captains praising team enthusiasm.
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LOS ANGELES – US Presidents Cup captain Brandt Snedeker opted for raw talent over experience by naming 21-year-old rookie Jackson Koivun among three debutants as he announced his final line-up on Sept 1.
The event pitting a dozen American golfers against an international team from the rest of the world – excluding Europe – will take place from Sept 24 to 27 at Medinah Country Club, near Chicago.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler had already automatically qualified for the US based on season rankings, along with Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns, Russell Henley and Collin Morikawa.
Snedeker used one of his six remaining picks on world 70th-ranked Koivun, the recent amateur champion who fended off Scheffler at the 3M Open in July to claim victory in just his third PGA Tour event as a professional.
“It means the world. This has been a tournament I’ve grown up watching,” Koivun said on the Golf Channel programme.
“I love team play and I love playing for the United States of America.
“I’m just happy he took a chance on me and I’m gonna give it my all.”
Chris Gotterup and Jacob Bridgeman will also make their debuts. Snedeker’s final picks were Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas.
Notable omissions included 2025 US Open champion J.J. Spaun, and 2025 Ryder Cup pick Ben Griffin, while LIV Golf stars like Bryson DeChambeau were not eligible.
“You look to your best players to kind of pull the cart for you and go out there and lead the charge. And so we’re very fortunate on our side,” said Snedeker.
“We have a bunch of great guys in the team room, guys who love to lead, guys who lead by example, guys who lead by being vocal, and they’re all bought in.”
International Team captain Geoff Ogilvy will draw on fellow Australians Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee, who qualified automatically.
So too did South Korea’s Kim Si-woo and Tom Kim, Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, and the 2026 British Open winner Ryan Fox from New Zealand.
Ogilvy also picked two Canadians – Corey Conners and Nick Taylor – along with South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Colombia’s Nico Echavarria, Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune and South Korea’s Im Sung-jae.
“I don’t think I’ve had 12 guys more enthusiastic and more energetic at this point of the tournament than we have this time,” said Ogilvy.
The US have dominated the Presidents Cup, winning the last 10 editions, and 13 of the 15 to date.
Europe is excluded because the continent already takes on the US in the longer-running and traditionally more competitive Ryder Cup.
The formats of the two competitions are largely similar, featuring various types of matchplay golf, though the Presidents Cup takes place over four days while the Ryder Cup runs for just three. AFP, REUTERS
