After PGA Tour success, Jackson Koivun returns for Auburn encore
AUBURN, Ala. – As summer jobs go, Jackson Koivun’s made up for with celebration what it lacked in compensation.
Competing as an amateur on the PGA Tour rendered Koivun ineligible to claim more than a million dollars in prize money the Auburn junior would have earned as a professional so far in 2025.
For Koivun, that’s a small price to pay for another year on the Plains.
“It was a no-brainer for me,” said Koivun of his decision to return to Auburn for his junior season despite already securing his PGA Tour card. “I love Auburn and I’m happy to be here. I wasn’t ready to turn pro after my sophomore year. It made so much sense for me to stay.”
Gaining PGA Tour experience this summer while getting to play another season at Auburn represents the best of both worlds, he says.
“A hundred percent,” Koivun said. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. I’m very happy to play in these PGA Tour events but I’m still a college golfer and looking forward to starting up this college season.
“It’s definitely tough out there. It’s just a different lifestyle. Auburn’s so great. Teammates are so great. You get out there, it’s definitely a lot self-centered. It’s a complete 180 from college golf. That’s something that kept me coming back.”
When Koivun finished tied for fourth in mid-September at the Procore Championship in California, he became the first amateur with three consecutive top-10 PGA Tour finishes since hall of famer Ken Venturi in 1956.
“It gives me confidence that I can go out there and do it,” Koivun said. “There have been so many good amateurs to play on the PGA Tour and eventually turn pro and be successful. To put my name up there into that category is truly special.”
The previous week, Koivun helped the United States win the 50th Walker Cup, earning three of Team USA’s 17 points at Cypress Point Club in Pebble Beach, California.
“That might have been one of the best experiences of my life,” he said. “Getting back to California, getting with a lot of friends who were on the U.S. team and being able to get a win. That was unbelievable. There were so many family and friends out there to support me and my teammates. Cypress Point is truly one of the best golf courses in the world. To do it at a place like that, I can’t put it into words.”
A gallery favorite, especially among young fans at PGA Tour events, Koivun autographed a dollar bill, a keychain and a bag of a potato chips during the Wyndham Championship in his home state of North Carolina.
“It’s really cool to be able to potentially inspire people,” said Koivun, who won the McCormack Medal in August as the world’s No. 1 amateur. “I do my best to keep my head down, not do anything flashy. Just get to work and keep getting better and inspire people through my golf game.”
