Updated July 8, 2026, 3:44 p.m. ET
Jackson Koivun is the betting favorite to win in just his second start as a pro.
The 21-year-old from North Carolina spent just over a year as the world’s No. 1 amateur and capped off one of the most decorated individual college careers in history by winning a team national title with the Auburn Tigers. The phrase “can’t-miss prospect” should always be used lightly, but Koivun is as close to that as anyone in recent memory.
It seems sportsbooks share that sentiment.
Koivun is teeing it up this week at the PGA Tour’s ISCO Championship, where he is 16-to-1 to win — the shortest odds in the whole field. Some books, like BetMGM, have the same price on Max Homa, but several others list Koivun as the outright favorite.
After securing co-low amateur honors at the 2026 U.S. Open, Koivun turned pro last week at the John Deere Classic. His debut didn’t exactly go to plan, though, as the young star posted rounds of 73 and 70 over the first two days, missing the cut by four shots.
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“Golf game definitely wasn’t where it needed to be last week,” he said Wednesday ahead of the ISCO. “I’ve put in a lot of work these past couple days to try to get it back to where I feel I can go out and win. Like you said, I’ve been spending a lot of time on the greens. I felt like last week I kind of slacked in that aspect and the stats showed. Just mentally getting ready and kind of just working through some kings. Game feels good now.”
But this is a new week, and while many of the world’s best players are overseas for a two-week U.K. swing that includes the Genesis Scottish Open and the Open Championship, Koivun will be in Louisville looking to announce his official arrival on the PGA Tour in an opposite-field event that features only five players ranked inside the top 100 in the world.
Koivun tees off at 1:39 p.m. ET Thursday at Hurstbourne Country Club alongside fellow newly-minted Tour pro Ben James and the world’s best junior amateur, 17-year-old Miles Russell.
Nick Stavas is a digital producer and commerce writer for Golfweek. Follow him on X/Twitter (@nickstavas).
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