One of the hottest topics in the professional game right now is whether or not Jackson Koivun will make the Presidents Cup team.
Koivun announced himself on the world stage with his win at the 3M Open 10 days ago.
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The 21-year-old showed incredible quality throughout the week in Blaine, Minnesota, while displaying a certain level of maturity that belied his age.
There is no doubt in my mind that Jackson Koivun is an absolute superstar in the making.
The Auburn graduate has already proven that he can stare down the best players in the world and win, after he pipped Scottie Scheffler to the 3M Open title.
He won in just his third start as a professional on the PGA Tour, and now he is being tipped for a place on the Presidents Cup team in September.
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There have also been suggestions that Brandt Snedeker could leave Koivun off of his Presidents Cup team.
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However, for the good of US team golf in general, and specifically for their chances of winning back the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup captain Snedeker must sit down with Jim Furyk as a matter of urgency to discuss Koivun.
Brandt Snedeker and Jim Furyk need a chat about Jackson Koivun now
There are some fans and golf analysts who claim that Snedeker owes Koivun, and indeed, Furyk, nothing, with regards to his Presidents Cup team selection.
They suggest that Snedeker’s main focus should be on winning the Presidents Cup and nothing else.
Snedeker even hinted himself that Koivun needs to play some really good golf between now and the end of the playoffs in order to make the team.
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However, whether or not the youngster makes the Presidents Cup team should not be a debate.
Koivun has an extremely impressive amateur matchplay record.
He really showed his quality and his mentality during the Walker Cup last year at Cypress Point when he won three and narrowly lost one of his four matches.
However, Koivun has zero experience of playing team matchplay events as a professional.
Having him on the team at Medinah Country Club will be pivotal for his chances of, firstly, making the Ryder Cup team at Adare Manor and, secondly, actually succeeding in Ireland.
He simply cannot be expected to be thrown into the bear pit in Ireland without any prior professional matchplay experience.
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Sure, Ludvig Aberg made his Ryder Cup debut in 2023 after playing for just a few months on the PGA Tour.
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However, that was a home Ryder Cup for Europe.
Competing in an away Ryder Cup is a different kettle of fish altogether.
Let’s face it, the United States should absolutely dominate the Internationals in September at Medinah Country Club.
Leaving Jackson Koivun off the Presidents Cup team would be a big mistake
Leaving Jackson Koivun out of the side would be criminal on two counts.
One, it would be letting a huge opportunity slide to give him vital experience ahead of the Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in 2027.
And two, Koivun is almost certainly one of the best 12 American players in the game already, despite his tender years.
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The thing is, Brandt Snedeker wouldn’t have to play Koivun in every single match.
Just having him there as part of the team would be a crucial learning experience for the youngster.
Snedeker needs to work with Jim Furyk, rather than focus purely on beating the Internationals at the Presidents Cup.
This is about the long game now.
Leaving Koivun out of the Presidents Cup team because some people don’t think he’s ready to play at Medinah just yet, or because he hasn’t fully justified a pick would be a really poor decision that would reek of short-term thinking.
Brandt Snedeker and Jim Furyk absolutely have to be on the same page in this regard, if the United States are to make genuine progress at the Ryder Cup next year.
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