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Golf Monthly

Sport

Jonny Leighfield

Who Is Jackson Koivun? 24 Facts You Didn't Know About The 3M Open Leader

Jackson Koivun Golf Auburn Ludvig Aberg Auburn University PGA Tour SEC

Jackson Koivun headshot at the 2026 3M Open.

Jackson Koivun is one of the best young golfers in the world and has an incredibly impressive amateur record behind him. Find out more about his life and fledgling pro career via these facts.

Jackson Koivun Facts

1. Koivun was born on May 23, 2005 in San Jose, California but moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina aged 17.

2. He learned golf from his father, George at a young age. He says he beat his dad for the first time when he was just seven years old. Koivun's mother is called Meghan.

3. Koivun began playing on the 9-hole par-3 course at Santa Teresa Golf Club before moving on to Cinnabar Hills Golf Club. It was there he began being coached by assistant pro Fred Garcia.

4. As a teenager, he won both the 2022 Rolex Tournament of Champions and 2023 Dustin Johnson World Juniors. During that incredibly successful period, Koivun was also able to boast top-10 finishes at the 2022 Wyndham Invitational, 2022 Junior Players Championship and 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley.

5. Prior to college, he was tagged as the No.1 recruit by the AJGA and No.3 by Golf Channel.

6. In 2023, Koivun began attending Auburn University having opted to become a Tiger over going to Duke, Illinois, North Carolina, Pepperdine, SMU, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest.

7. Koivun's favorite movie is 'Guardians of the Galaxy' while he calls pizza his comfort meal. His favorite NFL team is the Green Bay Packers.

8. He reached the US Amateur quarter-finals in 2023.

9. Koivun's 2024 freshman year with Auburn is widely considered as one of the best rookie seasons in collegiate golf history. His successful campaign included winning the SEC Championship by six shots and only finishing outside the top-six just once in 13 starts. He also became the first player in Auburn history to finish the year with a sub-70 stroke average at 69.48.

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10. Koivun became the first player to win all four major collegiate awards (Jack Nicklaus, Fred Haskins, Ben Hogan and Phil Mickelson Awards) in the same season. His other awards in 2024 included SEC Player of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year.

11. Thanks to winning the 2024 Jack Nicklaus Award, he earned a spot at the 2024 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club, where he made his PGA Tour debut. Koivun made the cut and finished 52nd with a score of 18-over-par.

12. Koivun finished in a tie for second at the 2024 NCAA Men’s Individual Championship, losing by one stroke to Hiroshi Tai. He suffered a brutal break on the final hole which cost him a shot at the title.

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13. He helped Auburn its first national team title at the 2024 NCAA Men's Golf Championship. The Tigers did it again in 2026.

14. Koivun was named the SEC Player of the Season for three straight seasons between 2024-2026 thanks to 12 individual wins during that time.

15. He has represented Team USA at the Junior Presidents Cup (2022), the Arnold Palmer Cup (2024, 2025) and the Walker Cup (2025).

16. Already a regular inside the World Amateur Golf Ranking top-five, Koivun finally took over the No.1 spot in June 2025 following Luke Clanton's decision to turn pro. He received the Mark H. McCormack medal in August.

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17. Koivun finished T4th at the NCAA D1 Men's Golf Championship 2025 and earned the 20th and final point he needed to secure a full PGA Tour card through the circuit's University Accelerated program. But instead of turning pro immediately, Koivun announced he would be returning to Auburn for at least his Junior year.

18. Koivun made his Major championship debut at the 2025 US Open at Oakmont Country Club. While he missed the cut there, he returned in 2026 and earned low amateur honors alongside Ryder Cowan after finishing T23rd.

19. In the summer of 2025, Koivun secured three top-11 finishes on the PGA Tour as an amateur, including a T5th at the Wyndham Championship. He had made six of eight cuts at that point.

20. In February 2026, Koivun won the Amer Ari Invitational and broke multiple records at the same time. His back-to-back 62s to start broke the NCAA 36-hole record of 18-under (which was set by Tiger Woods in 1996) while he also became the first player in NCAA history to post two rounds of 62 or better in the same event. A 67 to finish also helped Joivun break Auburn's 54-hole scoring record by seven strokes.

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21. In 2026 alone, Koivun won six collegiate titles - the most he'd ever claimed in one year. That included three in four starts early on before three in the same month (April).

22. Koivun won the Jack Nicklaus Award, the Ben Hogan Award and the Haskins Award for the second time in his amateur career in 2026.

23. Straight after the US Open in June 2026, Koivun confirmed he would forgo his senior year at Auburn and turn pro immediately.

24. At the 2026 3M Open, Koivun led through 54 holes in a field that contained the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Hideki Matsuyama and Brian Harman. It was just his third start as a professional.

Jackson Koivun Bio

Born	San Jose, California
Date of Birth	May 23, 2005
Height	5ft10in (1.78m)
College	Auburn University
Turned Pro	June 2026
Highest OWGR	167th
Best Major Result	T23rd (LA) - 2026 US Open
Amateur Wins	17