Who is Jackson Koivun? Meet the PGA Tour's hottest prospect

Jackson Koivun's PGA Tour career officially starts at the John Deere Classic. 

There is a serious buzz about the 21-year-old American, who joins the paid ranks having dominated the amateur scene for three years.

The former Auburn University standout arrives on the pro scene as one of the most decorated college golfers in recent memory. 

His college coach, Nick Clinard, even told Golf Digest that Koivun was "the most elite competitor" he had instructed in 25 years. 

But who is Jackson Koivun and why is there so much hype?

GolfMagic has decided to take a look. 

College career

Koivun put together one of the most dominant college golf careers ever at Auburn University. 

He arrived in 2023 and immediately made an impact. 

He won the SEC Championship and became the first player ever to sweep all four major collegiate awards in a single season, including the Haskins, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Phil Mickelson Freshman Award. 

Koivun also helped lead Auburn to the NCAA Division 1 Team Championship and posted a ridiculous scoring average of 69.48. 

The next year, he repeated his success at the SEC Championship and racked up multiple individual titles. 

He success meant that he was eligible to take up membership on the PGA Tour but he opted to stay in college for another year. 

Koivun won his third straight SEC title in April. He left Auburn number one in the amateur rankings and having amassed more individual titles than any other player (11). 

Throughout his time at Auburn, Koivun represented the United States in several major international amateur team competitions such as the Junior Presidents Cup, Arnold Palmer Cup and the Walker Cup.  

How did Jackson Koivun get his PGA Tour card?

Koivun earned his way to the big leagues via PGA Tour U - a programme run by the North American circuit that helps college golfers transition from NCAA golf into the professional ranks. 

In simple terms, it's a college-to-pro pathway for elite university golfers. 

Golfers need to secure 20 points to be eligible for PGA Tour membership and Koivun crossed the threshold when he finished in a share of fourth at the 2025 NCAA Championship. 

Koivun decided against turning pro, though, and explained at the 2026 U.S. Open that he just wasn't quite ready. 

"I think my golf game was there," he told reporters. "I just think I wasn't ready to leave college, and mentally just wasn't ready for the potential hardships and the travel and everything like that.

"But taking another year to really wrap my mind around that was good for me, and now I'm definitely ready."

Koivun said he made the decision to turn pro last Christmas after having a long chat with his parents. 

He had already made numerous starts on the PGA Tour as an amateur, having made seven cuts from nine starts .

"I had a pretty good run on the PGA Tour that summer, and I just kind of wanted to get back out there," Koivun added.

"Once I started to finally accept that I'm turning pro after this year, I felt a big weight off my shoulders and started to play pretty good this spring."