The Next Great One is an expression bandied about in sports when a rookie or a relative newcomer makes an early, impressive debut. Phenom is also used.
Both could apply to Jackson Koivun (Titleist Pro V1) had people in the golf world raving about his winning his first PGA Tour win in less than a month since turning pro.
He did it in the 3M Open last week, topping no less than world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (Titleist Pro V1), who placed second.
Koivun also finished ahead of various competitors, whose accomplishments include wins in majors, including the likes of Hideki Matsuyama (Srixon Z-Star XV) and Brian Harman (Titleist Pro V1), who were among a group tied for third.
It was interesting that Scheffler, Mayama and Harman posted better scores in the final round than Koivun, but the 25-year-old hung tough, nonetheless.
He posted a 10-under score in round three, but the pressure was clearly on in the final round. It is so difficult to repeat a career round, because so many things can happen from one round to the next. Players can have everything go right one day, then come crashing down to reality the next day.
Consider Michael Kim, who shot a tournament record 12-under par in round two, then posted a one-under par the next day. He finished tied for 10th.
I heard some radio guys talking about Koivun’s win in only 13 PGA Tour events, something that had not been done by the likes of Scheffler, Rory McIlroy (TaylorMade TP5), Bryson DeChambeau (Titleist Pro V1x) and Ludvig Aberg (Titleist Pro V1x). To further underline that point, not even Tiger Woods (Bridgestone Tour B X) or Jack Nicklaus rung up the first of their 82 PGA Tour wins that fast.
Koivun had already accomplished all he could do in his abbreviated amateur career, so the move to turn pro was hardly a surprise.
That he won so quickly was a surprise, maybe even shocking.
There is a sobering reality about a high-profile amateur turning pro. Consider Nick Dunlap (Titleist Pro V1) turning pro just a few days after winning the 2024 American Express as an amateur. He recorded his second PGA Tour win in his 16th event, the Barracuda Championship, since turning pro. But he struggled mightily following the American Express win with a bunch of missed cuts, though he did record a T10 two tournaments before the Barracuda Championship.
Amateurs playing in the PGA events, including the majors, really have no pressure. Even when they are among the leaders heading into the final round, no one expected them to be there, so whatever they do is a bonus. That was the case with Dunlap, who similar to Koivun turned pro because there was nothing more for him to do at the collegiate level.
It is interesting that Koivun goes into this week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic ranked ninth in the PGA Tour power rankings. He has odds of 20-1 to 23-1 on various betting sites. Cameron Young (Titleist Pro V1x Double Dot) is the favorite at slightly more than 9-1.
THE LONG WAIT IS OVER:
To put things in context, when Jenny Shin (Srixon Z-STAR XV) won the Scottish Open last week, it broke a drought of more than 10 years, a span of 3,737 days. She won the Scottish Open going wire to wire.
It says something about her competitive drive about taking so long to win her second LPGA Tour without giving up hope. She won her first LPGA Tour event at the Texas Shootout in May 2016.
FINAL MAJOR OF THE SEASON:
The LPGA has its fifth and final major of the season this week, the AIG Women’s Open, also known as the British Open, in England.
All eyes will be on Nelly Korda (TaylorMade TP5x) and Haeran Ryu (TaylorMade TP5), who have both two majors this season. If either of them wins the British Open they might take a choke hold on golfer of the year honors.
Korda is the favorite to win the tournament at 7½-1 odds (or slightly higher depending on the site) while Ryu is next at 11-1. Miyu Yamashita (Srixon Z-Star XV) is just behind at 12-1.
