Jackson Koivun has a chance to follow in Luke Clanton’s footsteps this week.
Last week, Clanton, a junior at Florida State, earned his PGA Tour card after making the cut at the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches. He did so after earning his 20th point in PGA Tour University Accelerated, a program created to help the best underclassmen in college golf earn a spot on Tour.
At this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, Koivun can be the second top amateur to earn a Tour card in as many weeks. Sitting at 18 points in PGA Tour U Accelerated, Koivun needs to make the cut and finish in the top 10. If he does that, the sophomore at Auburn would earn his PGA Tour card.
“It’s hard not to think about that,” Koivun said, “but just trying to put that in the back of my mind and go play like I know I can. If everything falls into place, that’s great, but at the end of the day I’m just trying to come out here and have fun.”
Koivun is the reigning national player of the year, becoming the first freshman ever to win the Haskins, Hogan and Nicklaus Awards in the same year. He finished as the runner-up at the national championship and then helped Auburn win its first championship in school history, topping Clanton and Florida State 3-2 in the match-play final.
He made his PGA Tour debut last summer at the Memorial, making the cut. He then missed the cut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. His third start came this season at the Farmers, where he and Clanton both made the cut. The PGA Tour said it was the first time in the last 55 years that two amateurs have made the cut at the Farmers in a single year.
Now, in the field as the lone amateur playing on a sponsor exemption by virtue of a vote from his peers at the 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup, Clanton can become the third player to earn his card via the Accelerated route, joining Clanton and Vanderbilt senior Gordon Sargent.
“I know Luke very well, he’s a good person and he works his tail off to go compete, and he’s been playing really well,” Koivun said. “It’s great for him to get that card, and I’m happy for him. Knowing that I’m kind of in that same situation, I just have a little more time than he did, just, obviously it’s going to be weighing on me a little bit, but like I said before, I think if I can just go have fun and try to put that on the back burner I think I’ll play a little better.”
Similar to Clanton, Koivun, the No. 2 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, he’s bound to earn his card by this summer. While a top 10 this week would net him two points, he would also earn a point for another appearance on the Arnold Palmer Cup team, and he would get two points for earning a spot on the U.S. Walker Cup team. As of now, he’s a shoo-in for both, meaning his time is coming.
More: Luke Clanton has one goal left in amateur golf: ‘I want to win a national championship’
But earning his card because of his play would prove he belongs and be a big confidence boost that he is indeed among the best golfers in the world, not just in the amateur ranks.
“I think there’s little things here and there I could improve on if I want to get to one of the top players in the world,” Koivun said. “But I think, game-wise, I think I’m ready to get out and compete. I think it’s just growing a little bit, maturing a little bit mentally that needs some work, and that’s why staying in college I think is a good idea for me and, you know, I think having one or two more years could really, really benefit me.”
Koivun previously said he would return to Auburn for his junior season, regardless of whether he earned his Tour card this year.
This week, he tees it up in one of the PGA Tour’s strongest fields of the year. Nine of the top 10 players in the world are at Bay Hill, including world No. 1 and defending champion Scottie Scheffler. A top-10 finish would be a good prize, but Koivun’s time will come.
He wants to enjoy the experience this week and then try to help Auburn defend its national title.
“It’s hard not to grow expectations after last year, but I talked with my coach, coach (Nick) Clinard, my swing coach, and a bunch of people about it,” Koivun said. “Just trying to go into every tournament not having as many expectations, not trying, I mean, not expecting to play like I did last year, but I think if I go in just as free as I can be I’ll be able to go compete.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Jackson Koivun could earn PGA Tour card at Arnold Palmer Invitational
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