{"id":804327,"date":"2026-08-06T06:42:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T06:42:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/804327\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T06:42:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T06:42:18","slug":"koivun-off-the-course-tour-phenom-juggles-newfound-recognition-amid-florida-move-presidents-cup-talk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/804327\/","title":{"rendered":"Koivun off the course: Tour phenom juggles newfound recognition amid Florida move, Presidents Cup talk"},"content":{"rendered":"

Other than winning his first PGA Tour event<\/a> and emerging as a popular Presidents Cup pick<\/a>, Jackson Koivun\u2019s summer of 2026 has largely resembled that of his peers: Traveling, moving into a new place, seeing the new Spider-Man movie with friends.<\/p>\n

OK, fine there is one other thing that makes the 21-year-old\u2019s past few months stand out from most in his cohort.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere and there, sometimes at the airport when I\u2019m carrying some golf clubs around,\u201d said Koivun of his newfound public recognition, \u201cbut nothing too crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Presidents Cup captain Brandt Snedeker got an up-close look at the newly-minted SEC Athlete of the Year when he played a practice round with Koivun at Sedgefield<\/a> earlier this week. <\/p>\n

He called Koivun a \u201cgenerational talent\u201d \u2014 a claim backed up by accolades like the first player ever to sweep all three major national player of the year awards twice<\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely hear it and I appreciate all the kind words people have to say about me,\u201d Koivun told reporters at the Wyndham Championship on Wednesday. \u201cI know there\u2019s a lot of flutter about certain teams and things I might be able to accomplish. But at the end of the day I like to tell myself good golf takes care of everything, so I can just kind of tune that out and just go enjoy being out here on the PGA Tour. I should be able to accomplish some of my goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

He admitted that there were some nerves on the course with Snedeker.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to tell myself if I\u2019m not nervous that means I don\u2019t care. I think nerves are a good thing,\u201d Koivun said. \u201cManaging those nerves I\u2019ve gotten a lot better at. No matter what tournament you\u2019re playing in, it\u2019s hard not to be nervous if you\u2019re leading and you really want to win obviously. It\u2019s hard to not to kind of suppress those nerves but I definitely get nervous, I\u2019m not afraid to admit that. Definitely nervous and excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Image<\/p>\n

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Watch the first round of the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.<\/p>\n

Koivun finished T-5 at this event as an amateur a year ago, and oddsmakers expect more of the same this time around placing him as the second favorite pre-tournament <\/a>just behind Cameron Young.<\/p>\n

Perhaps that\u2019s less based on past results and more on recent form \u2014 as well as Koivun\u2019s 70th place on the FedExCup standings, needing a steady performance in the Tour\u2019s regular-season finale to get into the playoff.<\/p>\n

\u201cGot a little bit of work to do. Just trying to focus on my goal,\u201d he said. \u201cI had full faith that I was going to be able to give myself a shot at the playoffs, that was never out of the picture in my mind. Obviously the win at 3M really boosted that, but I still felt like I could go out there and play some good golf and give myself a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for everyone\u2019s favorite neighborhood spider, Koivun revealed he had a good time going to the movies last week and that it has been adjustment leaving Auburn, when asked about what his life has been like since turning pro.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust trying to figure out what I can do with friends on the road that isn\u2019t golfing,\u201d he said. \u201cLike I went to the movies this week so that was fun, saw the new Spider-Man movie. It\u2019s just been an adjustment. Needing to find more things to do off the golf course, but I\u2019m getting better at it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jackson Koivun is adjusting to Tour life off the course, learning how to have fun with his free time<\/p>\n

He saw the new Spider-Man, so that’s one crossed off the list \ud83d\ude02\ud83c\udfa5 pic.twitter.com\/x6Q5Uhq5Fc<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) August 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Moving to Florida <\/p>\n

Koivun also told the media that he has permanently settled in as a resident of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where he\u2019ll practice at Bear\u2019s Club and Panther National. <\/p>\n

\u201cOnly spent about two weeks down there, still getting acquainted down there, but it\u2019s been really fun and helpful to my golf game,\u201d said Koivun, who made the move before the U.S. Open. “[Florida] was always the plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

SEC Athlete of the Year <\/p>\n

Koivun is first he golfer to win SEC Athlete of the Year, and the first athlete from Auburn since Bo Jackson to take home the honor.<\/p>\n

He said it was crazy to think about how many golfers had come out of the SEC before him who had been denied the prestigious title. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure there\u2019s a couple out there that are just as deserving as I am \u2014 it\u2019s definitely a huge honor to receive that award,\u201d Koivun said.<\/p>\n

He received a lot of text messages from Auburn legends and amazingly kind recognitions from people on social media \u201cfrom some people that I might not think would know much about who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

The intersection of that happened when Jackson reposted his Instagram story about winning the 3M Open.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing Bo Jackson repost my story, repost my win was pretty cool,\u201d he said. \u201cObviously he\u2019s one of the greatest athletes to ever play, just a huge Auburn legend. That was kind of one that stood out to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Koivun tees off Thursday at 12:54 p.m. ET <\/a>with Hideki Matsuyama and Sahith Theegala.<\/p>\n

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\"Rocket<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s the final week of the PGA Tour\u2019s regular season, so expect to see some fireworks at the Wyndham Championship. Here are the tee times and groups for Round 1 and information on how to watch the action.<\/p>\n