MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) — Only four years ago, Jackson Koivun played in the Junior Presidents Cup as a high school senior and wandered around Quail Hollow Club a little star struck being around the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas.
It was only 112 days ago when Koivun helped lead Auburn to another NCAA title, the final chapter in a remarkable college career.
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And on Thursday, the 21-year-old Koivun plays with Thomas in a fourballs match for his Presidents Cup debut. For a sport with a reputation of moving slowly, his career has been at warp speed.
“Definitely going to feel some nerves on the first tee, but we’re all human. I think everyone does," Koivun said Wednesday. “I told Justin once I get my first tee shot out of the way, I’m going to be good. Just kind of balancing adrenaline, nerves, everything like that to the best of my ability.”
Three days of practice on the No. 3 course at Medinah Country Club — rain-soaked when they arrived, drying out by the day — gives way to the opening session of five fourballs matches.
The Presidents Cup has a heavy favorite in the Americans — they have won the last 10 times and lost only once since the matches against the Internationals began in 1994 — and a sentimental favorite in Adam Scott, who has is playing for the 12th time without ever being on the winning side.
“History is history, and it’s nice to be a part of history on the good side,” Collin Morikawa said. “But history can always be changed. I think for us, starting tomorrow, it all starts 0-0.”
U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker wasted little time sending out world No. 1 Scheffler and Sam Burns against Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im.
They will be followed by Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele against the Japanese duo of Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune; Thomas and Koivun against Corey Conners and Nico Echavarria; Morikawa and Wyndham Clark against Scott and Ryan Fox; and the anchor match of Chris Gotterup and Patrick Cantlay against Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim.
“You kind of have an idea of how this thing’s going to go and got a good game plan set forth,” Snedeker said. “And now it’s just about getting out of these guys’ way and let them go do what they love to do.”
What to expect? Pretty much anything.
“I think everyone comes into these tournaments with optimism,” International captain Geoff Ogilvy said. “They’re very momentum-based tournaments.”
Ogilvy thought back to two years ago at Royal Montreal when the Americans made a big opening statement with a 5-0 shutout. The Internationals responded with a shutout of their own in foursomes in which three of the matches didn't even get to the 15th hole.
“You could never have predicted that,” Ogilvy said, a vice captain in 2024. “We've been thinking about this for a long time. So we're just excited to get going.”
The United States has another embarrassment of riches compared with the Internationals. With only five matches on opening day, Snedeker sat Russell Henley, the No. 6 player in the world, and Jacob Bridgeman, who came into his first Presidents Cup fresh off another PGA Tour victory.
It also has Koivun, one of the more intriguing characters in these matches considering how quickly he made it to this stage. Koivun won in his third start as a professional in the 3M Open — Scheffler was the runner-up — and Snedeker trusted his gut in picking him.
He wasted no time giving Koivun a taste of the matches.
“Jackson being a young kid, I feel like he’s really kind of found his way on our team really quickly,” Snedeker said. “I feel like he’s handled the adjustment really well. Justin is just a natural pairing for him. I think he’ll do a great job putting his arm around him and show him how USA golf is meant to be played.”
Koivun already has had a memorable week. As the only player who came without a plus-one, the Americans had him pose with the Presidents Cup trophy with all their wives and girlfriends. Clark told of the grief Koivun caught when he was the last one to show up for the bus ride to Medinah.
They all have high hopes for him between the ropes.
“The fact that he has the maturity and the correct outlook on everything, he’s obviously really competitive and he’s obviously really talented,” Thomas said. “I’m excited for him this week. It’s going to be an awesome experience for him.”
The Americans have won the opening session eight of the last nine times.
“We would love to be in front, have a winning session,” Ogilvy said. “That's the job tomorrow is to win a session. I'm sure we'll be in good moods either way, but the goal would be to win the session.”
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