Jackson Koivun committed cardinal sin as Presidents Cup teammates pile in

Sam FrostThu, September 24, 2026 at 7:18 PM UTC

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Jackson Koivun's Presidents Cup debut got off to a rough start -Credit:Luke Hales/Getty Images

Jackson Koivun's President Cup debut got off to a poor start, taking plenty of heat from his teammates after turning up last to the team bus.

Koivun was the headline captain's pick for Team USA's showdown with the Internationals at Medinah Country Club. The 21-year-old is the PGA Tour's newest star after winning in just his third start as a professional.

Three-time SEC Individual champion Koivun enjoyed a stellar collegiate career at Auburn, and he has wasted no time in making his mark as a professional. Team USA captain Brandt Snedeker was sold, spending one of his six captain's picks on the breakout star, whom he paired with Justin Thomas for Thursday's four-ball matches.

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Koivun's talent and maturity caught the attention of his peers, but he made a rookie error when the team convened at the start of the week.

According to Wyndham Clark, Koivun was the last man to get on the bus, and his teammates gave him both barrels.

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"Jackson, literally the first practice round we did, he was the last one to show up, and we gave him so much crap: 'Hey, you can't be showing up late as a rookie," two-time U.S. Open champion Clark said.

That was not the only tough initiation the youngster experienced this week. He performed a rendition of Kanye West's Heartless for his karaoke song — a rite of passage for rookies.

Koivun is playing with Justin Thomas in Thursday's four-ball matches -Credit:Luke Hales/Getty Images

It did not go well, according to Collin Morikawa. "Jackson, I'll give a three out of 10 [for his performance]," he said. "Not good, struggled. Got through it."

Those awkward moments have only added to the experience for Koivun, who has loved rubbing shoulders with the big boys.

"It's been so much fun," he said. "The week has kind of flown by. Really excited. The golf course is great, and getting to know everyone is really cool.

"I've just been nothing but excited this week. I've been waiting for Thursday to come. Definitely going to feel some nerves on the first tee, but we're all human. I think everyone does.

"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 because I've put myself in situations like that.

"I don't really know if anything is going to recreate what I'm going to feel on the first tee tomorrow, but just getting into that mindset that this is here and we've got to go play some good golf."

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Source: “AOL Sports”