Smylie Kaufman has compared Jackson Koivun beating Si-woo Kim at the Presidents Cup to Scottie Scheffler taking down Jon Rahm on his Ryder Cup debut, and backed the youngster to win at least once on the PGA Tour next season.
Koivun was certainly the breakout star at Medinah. He had been Brandt Snedeker’s final captain’s pick for the event having won on his third professional start on the PGA Tour.
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The 21-year-old ended the week as the only unbeaten player on either side, winning two of his three matches in Illinois. And there was a brief moment on Sunday when it appeared that Koivun would have the opportunity to hole the winning putt in his match with Si-woo Kim.
Jackson Koivun backed to win again on the PGA Tour next season after his Presidents Cup debut
It was not to be the fairytale conclusion to the week for Koivun. Nevertheless, the boy wonder still managed to defeat the International Team’s talisman to put another point on the board. It was remarkable to see how much he relished the stage, with Koivun striding after both his tee shot and approach on the 18th hole.
Beating Kim was a huge statement, with the South Korean surely the best player on Geoff Ogilvy’s team over the first three days.
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And speaking on The Smylie Show, Smylie Kaufman outlined just how impressed he had been by Koivun’s showing over the last few days.
“Huge kudos to Snedeker and those guys. At the same time as giving them a hard time, I still feel that that pick reminds me so much of when Steve Stricker put up Scottie Scheffler against Jon Rahm in that first match at Whistling Straits. He ended up beating him I think 4&3. And at that time, you’re like why is Scottie going up against Rahm? He’s been unbelievable, I think 4-0 heading into Sunday singles. And obviously Scottie had not played four matches at that point. Scottie Scheffler wasn’t the world number one, he was a guy that barely made the team,” he said.
“I think as we compare Jackson Koivun and where his trajectory is and what this could do for him moving forward, it’s all the things we talked about heading into the week. 2027 and 2028 could be Jordan Spieth-like seasons, and it’s going to be fun for golf to have a young American, likeable, good looking, playing with swagger, has all the confidence in the world, and is just really dang talented and has respect from his peers. So I’m really excited to watch Jackson Koivun’s trajectory.
“I’m not trying to put all this weight on his shoulders. I think he’s got his own expectations, but just what he’s been able to show us thus far, does it mean he’s going to go and win four or five times? No, it doesn’t, but I’d be surprised if he doesn’t win once or twice next season, kind of that Chris Gotterup track of what he does every year, win on the PGA Tour. That, to me, is where Jackson Koivun is headed.”
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How Jordan Spieth performed on the PGA Tour in 2014 after making his Presidents Cup bow the previous year
There are definitely some notable similarities with Spieth. He was handed a captain’s pick for the 2013 Presidents Cup after winning that year’s John Deere Classic. He had been 22nd in the standings before getting the call from Fred Couples.
Spieth went on to win two of his four matches at Muirfield Village, forming an impressive partnership with Steve Stricker.
Interestingly, the Texan did not win on the PGA Tour in 2014. He did, however, make a statement by finishing second on his Masters debut – 12 months before securing his maiden major title at the same venue.
It will be Koivun’s turn to make his debut at Augusta National next April. It should not come as any surprise if he manages to steal the show at The Masters, regardless of whether he wins or not.
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