Over the past three years, Jackson Koivun’s game has answered every question asked of it as he put together one of the greatest amateur golf careers in recent history. The Auburn junior has 11 career wins, including six this season. He became the first player in 50 years to win three straight SEC titles, won two Ben Hogan Awards and two Fred Haskins Awards. He starred for Team USA in a Walker Cup win at Cypress Point and led Auburn to a national title as a freshman in 2024. Koivun repeated that feat on Wednesday, when he beat UCLA’s Baylor Larrabee 4 and 3 to earn a point in Auburn’s 4-1 win in the championship match.
Koivun then faced the one question he hasn’t yet answered: When does the next chapter begin?
Koivun has already earned his PGA Tour card through the PGA Tour University Accelerated Program. He elected to defer his membership and remain an amateur for the 2025-26 season because he wanted to play in the Walker Cup at Cypress Point, play in the 2026 U.S. Open and Open Championships and bring another national title home to Auburn. Koivun earned three points at Team USA’s Walker Cup win at Cypress, and on Wednesday, he made good on his plan to capture another title for the Tigers.
The PGA Tour beckons to Jackson Koivun. It’s a matter of when he joins the pro ranks.
What’s next for Jackson Koivun after winning another national championship?
“We’ll see,” Koivun told Golf Channel’s Emilia Doran on Wednesday, as his coach chanted for his star to give him one more year. “We’re gonna get back to Auburn and recoup. But it’s been so much fun this year with these guys, especially the freshmen. They’re working their tails off and it showed this week. More than happy for me and my team. War Eagle.”
Koivun has already shown he has the game to compete on the PGA Tour. He doesn’t need more seasoning at Auburn to be ready for golf’s bright lights. He had four top-10 finishes in seven starts last year, including a T4 at the Procore Championship and a T5 at the Wyndham. More importantly, Koivun’s amateur run is threatening some of the greatest of all time. Per DataGolf, Koivun’s amateur career is the best dating back to 2010. DataGolf’s amateur golf rankings quantify how good a collegiate player is relative to their Division I competition. Per DataGolf, Koivun’s strokes gained index of +3.36 ranks two-tenths of a shot (0.20) better than Jon Rahm’s brilliant amateur run at Arizona State. It’s a quarter of a shot better than Jordan Spieth’s decorated career at Texas, which helped launch him to three major wins by the age of 24.
Koivun seems destined for PGA Tour stardom, but he could choose to delay his pro debut a few more months to try and cap off his amateur run by cementing himself among legends.
Koivun is in the field at the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in two weeks by virtue of winning the McCormack Medal as the top-ranked amateur in 2025. He also has a spot in the 2026 Open at Royal Birkdale. He has to remain an amateur to use those exemptions. The main event comes in August when the U.S. Amateur is played at Merion. Despite his amateur success, Koivun has not played his best in USGA events. If he wants to elevate his amateur career to the top level of the pantheon, he has to do what Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Phil Mickelson all did at least once and win the Havenmeyer Trophy. Then, the Walker Cup will be held at Lahinch Golf Club in Ireland in September, which could be a natural endpoint for Koivun’s amateur career should he elect to delay his pro turn for another few months.
There’s no pressure on Koivun to make his decision. The card he earned through PGA Tour University Accelerated goes through the 2027 season, so he doesn’t have to try and gobble up FedEx Cup points this summer to stay on the PGA Tour. He can choose the right time to end a historic amateur career and do so on his terms.
A second national championship could be the perfect spot for Jackson Koivun to exit. But perhaps one more amateur summer is in the cards before he begins his next climb.
