It’s early in his golfing career, but Jackson Koivun looks like the next big thing.
The 21-year-old is the number one-ranked amateur in the world by a distance. He has nine wins to his name and 25 top-five finishes in the amateur ranks.
Koivun has played nine times in 2026, and has won all but three events. He won three events on the bounce, capped off by a victory in the SEC Men’s Golf Championship Stroke Play.
He is destined for the PGA Tour, and at this stage of his career, you’d be foolish to bet against him becoming a multiple-time major championship winner. And he’s already caught the eye of another former superstar amateur, Ludvig Aberg, after what he did in a practice round.
What Jackson Koivun did in a practice round with Ludvig Aberg
Both Aberg and Koivun are two-time Ben Hogan Award winners, an award given to the top men’s college golfer in America. These two players, along with Jon Rahm, are the only golfers to have ever won the award twice, so it’s esteemed company for Koivun.
Koivun attends Auburn University in Alabama, and he met with Aberg on the Monday before the Charles Schwab Challenge. When asked about this meeting, Aberg revealed what Koivun once did in a practice round that amazed him.
Aberg was asked about Koivun winning the Hogan Award for the second time, and said, “It’s not surprising that he won it. I actually played Memorial two years ago, and he was in the field playing, and we were playing a practice round, and was behind us, so I waved him up, and we played, I guess, six holes together.
“And he was — first hole we played was 4, and he hit one shot, missed the green, went, oh, I’m just going to hit another one. Makes it with like a 6-iron or something like that. I was like, okay, this is a really, really good player, cool to see, and it’ll be fun to see him play well on the PGA Tour, as well.”
It sounds like the type of story that’s told about a legendary player once their career is over. If he stays on this course, there’s an exciting career ahead of Koivun.
