01차세대 스타의 등장
아마추어 골프계에서 두각을 나타내온 잭슨 코이분이 프레지던츠컵 무대에서 경쟁할 준비가 되었음을 입증했다.
미국 국가대표팀 유력 후보로 거론되는 그는 이번 대회를 통해 국제 무대 데뷔전을 치를 전망이다.
02Original (English) — PGA TOUR
MEDINAH, Ill. – Justin Thomas will never forget the smile.
It was Thursday morning, on the first tee of Jackson Koivun's first Presidents Cup match. The 21-year-old was making his debut in one of golf’s biggest team events, standing alongside Thomas with thousands of fans watching.
The moment could have been overwhelming, but instead, Koivun was smiling.
“I’ll never in my life forget the smile he had on his face when he put the tee in the ground on Thursday morning and he was about to hit,” Thomas said. “I think he kind of blacked out and went to pick up the tee, didn’t pick up the tee. It was just laying right there when I went to go put my tee in the ground. It’s kind of cool to get to experience those moments with someone. Yeah, it was cool to watch.”
By Sunday afternoon, there was plenty more to watch.
Koivun completed his Presidents Cup debut with a 2-0-1 record after defeating Si Woo Kim 2 and 1 in Singles on Sunday, helping the U.S. Team complete its comeback from a three-point deficit entering the final day.
Captain Brandt Snedeker had trusted Koivun with one of the biggest assignments on the board, and the entire U.S. Team had supported the decision.
Then Koivun delivered.
“I thought he brought everything and more,” Snedeker said. “He’s obviously a great player, but he’s a great kid. Super locked into what he’s doing. He’s an unbelievable competitor. I had a feeling about him. I don’t know what it was, just being around him, talking to people, knowing what he accomplished, I felt like he was ready for the stage.”
And the player on the other side of that match asw the same thing. “I think he’s just a really great player,” said Kim. “As a rookie this year, he played really great. I feel like he’d never was under pressure pretty much every hole, even the last few holes. I think he’s just a really good player and that he played great.”
Koivun arrived at Medinah with a resume that made it clear why Snedeker trusted him. At Auburn, he became the first freshman to sweep the Haskins, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan and Phil Mickelson awards in 2024. He won three consecutive SEC individual titles, helped Auburn win national championships in 2024 and 2026, and broke Tiger Woods’ NCAA 36-hole record with consecutive rounds of 62.
He also had a demonstrated comfort level in match play, compiling a 13-4-1 record at Auburn. But none of that guaranteed what would happen when he reached the first tee at Medinah.
Koivun admitted afterward that the nerves were real.
“Anytime you’re playing for the USA, you get excited and nervous, but I don’t think I’ve ever shook on a golf course like I did on Thursday on the first tee,” Koivun said. “At the same time, I couldn’t stop smiling. I was really excited to be there, but I was nervous for sure.”
That combination – nerves and enjoyment – quickly became part of what made Koivun so impressive.
He won his opening Four-ball match with Thomas, halved his second Four-ball match with Thomas on Saturday, then handled the pressure of Singles, where the U.S. Team needed points early in the day to mount its comeback.
And when he finished Sunday, his teammates were waiting.
“I put him in a big spot today, a really big spot,” Snedeker said. “That was a massive match. If we were going to have any chance today, he had to win that match. The guys were cheering in the room last night when we made that decision to put him in that spot. The whole team went crazy because they knew they wanted the kid to go up against Si Woo, and he delivered today in a big way. I’m super proud of him.”
Koivun was equally effusive about the experience.
“It felt great just having the support of these guys,” Koivun said. “We had such a close team. Our vice captains and captain are so great. It’s just one of the best experiences of my life. To close it out the way I did, it was just – it was awesome.”
For Thomas, who had spent the week around Koivun, the performance only confirmed what he already knew.
“Yeah, I hate to give him as much credit as I am, but he is really good at golf,” Thomas said. “He’s really just – he gets it; he’s very mature. It just was really cool to kind of just watch him do his thing.”
Perhaps the smile on Thursday morning now makes a little more sense.
Koivun wasn’t unaware of the moment – he was simply ready to enjoy it.
And by Sunday evening, the rookie had done much more than enjoy his first Presidents Cup. He had left it with a winning record, a trophy and the unmistakable feeling that this was only the beginning.