DUBLIN, OHIO | As part of the ceremony Tuesday afternoon honoring five golfers as national players of the year at their respective college levels, each of the five was given the microphone to ask Jack Nicklaus, the namesake of the trophies they had just won, a question.
Jackson Koivun held the mic first and could be excused if he had more answers than questions. The 19-year-old, who a week earlier helped Auburn win the NCAA Division I men’s golf championship, had just become the first player to win the Nicklaus, Haskins, Hogan and Mickelson awards in the same year, a grand slam of sorts.
In our what’s-next world, Koivun asked Nicklaus what separated him from the rest of professional golf, and the 84-year old gave the game’s newest sensation a simple message.
Win tournaments, Nicklaus said, and take your time.
“Don’t jump over the progression,” Nicklaus said. “In other words, how do you win when you get to the [PGA] Tour? Well, you’ve got to beat everybody you’re getting to before you get there. I never thought I was all that great a player until I made the Walker Cup team [in 1959], and I said, Hmm, I must be one of the 12 best amateurs to make the Walker Cup team. And then I won the U.S. Amateur later that year and I was ranked No. 1, and I was 19 years old. You’re 19, aren’t you? And I said, Hmm, I must be better than I think I am.
“But I didn’t put myself in front of that… I wasn’t ready at age 19 to go play the tour. You know, I might have made it eventually, but because I played enough golf that gave me a progression to get up there and grow, I got there. When I got there, I was ready to play.”
Koivun has arrived trailing sparks. He was the top-ranked college recruit, according to the AJGA, when he picked Auburn and, after having to play his way into the lineup early in his college career, Koivun has not finished outside the top five in his last 11 events, with two wins and five runner-up finishes.
Auburn had just won the national championship last week when Kouvin learned he won the Nicklaus award and the accompanying spot in the Memorial Tournament this week at Muirfield Village. One more potentially head-spinning moment.
The game makes no promises, but, for context, one year ago Ludvig Åberg won the Nicklaus Award after his final season at Texas Tech and now he’s ranked sixth in the world. It can happen fast, but Koivun sounds like someone willing to bide his time.
“It’s kind of come at me like a train,” Koivun said Wednesday.
About the only thing Koivun hasn’t accomplished recently is qualifying for the U.S. Open next week, missing out in a 36-hole qualifier on Monday.
The game makes no promises, but, for context, one year ago Ludvig Åberg won the Nicklaus Award after his final season at Texas Tech and now he’s ranked sixth in the world. It can happen fast, but Koivun sounds like someone willing to bide his time.
He spent the early part of this week getting acquainted with Muirfield Village, its dense rough, its demands off the tee and its famous locker-room milkshakes.
“I had two yesterday. I had a cookies-and-cream and a Buckeye [peanut butter and chocolate]. They were both tied one. I think they’re equally good,” said Koivun, who has a waistline that can handle a milkshake or two.
Koivun’s game is rock solid, and he has moved up to third in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Koivun says his game is “not visually impressive” but concedes his putting has elevated him.
“I do make a lot of putts,” said Koivun, who will tee off in the final pairing Thursday, at 2 p.m. EDT with Brandt Snedeker.
The challenge is handling all that’s coming his way. Last fall, he was learning how to live away from home for the first time, and now he’s teeing it up in his first PGA Tour event and reading his name on the Nicklaus trophy that includes Sahith Theegala, Sam Burns, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay and others.
He has gotten a glimpse of his potential future by seeing what Åberg and Nick Dunlap, who was playing college golf at Alabama until he won the American Express earlier this year, have done recently.
“My next goal is to try to win nationals individually. I think that would kind of cap it off as a really good year. I gave it a good run this year, but came up a little short.” – Jackson Koivun
“I think college guys can definitely compete if they’re on their games. I think professionals are very good at being a lot more consistent than college players,” Koivun said.
“I played a little bit against Dunlap, and I never got to play against Ludvig in college golf, but I know Dunlap; he’s a great player and a great person. I know I can compete with him, and hopefully I can compete with these guys this week.”
Koivun had a chance to win the NCAA individual championship before the Tigers captured the team title via match play, but he finished one stroke behind Georgia Tech’s Hiroshi Tai. It has already given Koivun a target to chase.
“My next goal is to try to win nationals individually. I think that would kind of cap it off as a really good year. I gave it a good run this year, but came up a little short,” Koivun said.
“Just try to keep progressing mentally and physically and seeing the progression in my game, hopefully getting into a couple more tour events and trying to make some cuts.”
Just like a certain Golden Bear suggested he do.