Is Jackson Koivun, a freshman at Auburn, the next Justin Thomas? Time will tell. As Thomas and Koivun are the only freshmen to win the Haskins Award presented by Stifel, Koivun is on a promising track. In fact, winners of this award have gone on to win 33 major championships and over 400 professional events.
The next collegiate player to join this 54-year legacy is Jackson Koivun. After coming into the college level as the #1 recruit according to the AJGA, a popular junior tour where most of college golf recruiting occurs, Koivun had all eyes on him.
He did not disappoint.
Koivun won two tournaments this season, led his team to the NCAA DI Men’s Golf Championship and maintained a scoring average of 67.4, the lowest among the Haskins Award Final Watch List players. He has also won the Ben Hogan Award this year, which celebrates excellent play at any level.
Koivun tied for second individually after four rounds of stroke play at the NCAA DI Men’s Golf Championship, where he shot 71-72-72-71 (-2). He then went on to win his quarterfinal match against Virginia’s Deven Patel to secure the Auburn team’s advancement to the semifinals this afternoon.
After finalizing his #4 spot in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Koivun is well on his way to earning the 20 points needed for the PGA Tour University Accelerated program, where he can earn his PGA Tour card before his senior year of college.
Congratulations to Koivun and the Auburn golf community on this recognition.