Koivun earned an exemption into the 2026 U.S. Open by winning the Mark H. McCormack Medal as the top-ranked amateur in \u201925. He had to remain an amateur to retain the exemption. He is also exempt for the \u201926 British Open at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, July 16-19. His decision to turn pro negates that exemption.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to turn down major exemptions, but deep down, I felt like the time was right to turn pro and I can\u2019t wait that long for the British,\u201d Koivun said. \u201cI\u2019ll keep my fingers crossed that maybe I\u2019ll qualify for it through the John Deere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Or maybe by winning the U.S. Open?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going in with that mindset,\u201d Koivun said. \u201cIf you’re not going to win, you\u2019re already behind the pack. Obviously, it\u2019s a tough test of golf, and there are so many good players in that field. But I\u2019m going to go in with the self-belief that I can win it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elite amateur\u00a0<\/p>\n
Koivun won 11 times in college, leading Auburn to two national championships in his three years, including this past season. He won six times this season, with an NCAA-best 68.20 scoring average, becoming the third player to win the Ben Hogan Award multiple times, along with Jon Rahm and Ludvig Aberg.<\/p>\n
Data Golf <\/a>ranks Koivun as the best amateur since it began tracking stats in 2010, ahead of Rahm, Aberg, Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland, Justin Thomas and many other current stars of the game. He\u2019s the first player in NCAA history to win all three Player of the Year honors (Fred Haskins, Hogan, Jack Nicklaus) multiple times.<\/p>\n Koivun is aware of the Data Golf stat. He understands his place in the pantheon of all-time college golfers. He\u2019s also aware that every successful professional transition involves struggling as a pro after an outstanding amateur career.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m trying to mentally prepare for the fact that it\u2019s not going to be all sunshine and rainbows out there,\u201d Koivun said. \u201cThere\u2019s a different aspect to the PGA Tour versus college golf. I think if I can handle the travel, week in and week out playing golf, I\u2019ll be ok. I\u2019m confident in my golf game, and I\u2019m just excited to see what I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n Pro gear\u00a0<\/p>\n Koivun earned his PGA Tour card through the PGA Tour Accelerated Program. He played in six PGA Tour events in 2025 as an amateur, finishing T11, T6, T5 and T4 in his final four starts. He was three strokes behind the winner, Scottie Scheffler, at the 2025 Procore Championship.<\/p>\n That success, both in college and on the PGA Tour, made Koivun the top free agent in golf apparel. Malbon landing him is a major win for the lifestyle brand known for merging cultural elements from skateboarding, snowboarding, hip-hop, art, and even bird-watching<\/a> into golf fashion.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt was ambitious of us to sign Jackson, considering all the options and opportunities he has,\u201d said Stephen Malbon, who co-founded Malbon with his wife, Erica in 2017. \u201cHe\u2019s definitely not the cookie-cutter human or professional golfer. It couldn\u2019t be a better fit.\u201d<\/p>\n Jason Day, Charley Hull, Freddie Couples, Sungjae Im and Anthony Kim are among Malbon\u2019s notable professional players. They\u2019ve also collaborated with Jimmy Choo, rappers ScHoolboy Q and Chief Keef, graffiti artist Futura, the New York Knicks and other non-golf brands in the past. <\/p>\n Adding Koivun, 21, gives them a rising young star for the next generation.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s something different than what everyone else is wearing, and I like that aspect of it,\u201d Koivun said. \u201cI\u2019m wearing Malbon everywhere I go now. Their off-the-course stuff is great.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n When asked what he would wear at the U.S. Open, Koivun remained coy.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to keep it pretty tame for now,\u201d Koivun said.<\/p>\n Deere debut\u00a0<\/p>\n Koivun was T11 at the 2025 John Deere Classic, three shots behind a playoff spot. He has family connections in the Silvis, Illinois area. He chose to debut there as a professional because of that and his solid performance at TPC Deere Run last year, which included a second-round 64.\u00a0<\/p>\n Many great golfers jump-started their careers with their first win at the John Deere, including Bryson DeChambeau, Jordan Spieth and Payne Stewart. Is that Koivun\u2019s goal?\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t really have any goals,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m going to take it week in and week out. I\u2019m going to see if I can go play well and maybe win a tournament.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all about getting comfortable on the road and getting comfortable on the courses. Staying happy and being present with where I\u2019m at is going to go a long way for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Spoken like a true professional.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
Add us as a preferred source on Google