The Jackson Koivun era is officially upon us.
On Friday morning, the decorated 21-year-old golfer from Auburn University announced he would turn pro following next week’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock, ending an amateur career that saw him become DataGolf’s highest-rated amateur player of the modern era.
Koivun represents a major coup for pro golf. He enters the PGA Tour as one of the best youngsters to matriculate through the amateur ranks in the 2020s — a rising star with an already jam-packed resume and no shortage of hype.
He will leave Auburn prior to his senior season with the Tigers, ending a career that featured three SEC individual titles and two NCAA Team Championships, the latest of which arrived just a week ago at the NCAA Championships in San Diego.
Koivun has been making spot starts on the PGA Tour over the last several years as a high-flying amateur playing on sponsor exemptions. Like Luke Clanton and Gordon Sargent, Koivun earned PGA Tour membership through the PGA Tour University Accelerated program, and will have the opportunity to pick up and start playing immediately on golf’s biggest professional tour, following a new path set forth in the LIV era.
The 21-year-old will play one final start as an amateur at the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock, where he will compete among a host of young stars on the major championship stage.
As far as his transition to playing on the big tour, Koivun should arrive with few surprises. He recorded top-15 finishes in four of his six PGA Tour starts in 2025, and has recorded top-fives in two of them. Perhaps the biggest change will arrive in his attire: Koivun also announced on Friday that he had signed a clothing sponsorship deal with Malbon, ending a considerable bidding war for his services.
Koivun won’t have to wait long after the U.S. Open to make his grand debut on the big tour. He is scheduled to make his first professional start at the John Deere Classic over July 4th weekend.
