This is an opinion column.
Maybe the greatest golf story about former Auburn prodigy Jackson Koivun is that the first time he beat his dad he was only seven years old.
There are so many tall tales, though.
And with Koivun they’re all true.
Now it’s time to add another to the list.
Koivun hugged dad George and Facetime’d his mom on Sunday after winning the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota. The 21-year-old turned pro 25 days ago and he’s already a PGA Tour winner. It was his third start as a pro. That’s the stuff of legends, but Koivun’s scorecard of unbelievable golfing milestones are nothing new to Auburn fans.
Is this guy the next Tiger Woods? That’s what people are about to start asking. The old heads will bristle at that comparison, but maybe so.
Hope so.
Either way, based on what he did in college, Koivun’s name is already up there with all the Auburn greats. Charles Barkley was Auburn’s most famous golfer for decades. No more.
Thank the heavens.
Koivun held off Scottie Scheffler to take the 3M Open with a tournament-record 25-under par 259. Who does that?
No one, that’s who. Until now.
“I’m just trying to soak it all in,” Koivun said after breaking through.
Golf hasn’t had a truly transcendent superstar since Tiger. Auburn fans will say that Koivun is a Tiger for life, so that’s good enough for me.
When it comes to weighing Koivun’s talent as a 21-year-old next to names like Tiger, Bobby Jones and Jack Nicklaus, here’s what I know. There’s only one Tiger, but Koivun can be a better putter.
The kid had two eagles on Saturday. He didn’t scratch down a single bogey the entire tournament. Like a machine, he drained a 13-footer on 18 to cap his first Tour win.
To close out round three, he scored a 28 on the back nine.
TWENTY-EIGHT.
I’ve scored a 28 on two holes out at Highland Park.
Of all Koivun’s masterful approaches over the weekend, this one really does it for me. It’s the sequence that gave him the lead on Saturday. He went from 309 yards out in the No.12 fairway to the green for a soaring eagle.
I mean, look at this shot. He almost came out of his shoes.
War Eagle, indeed.
The flat stick is Koivun’s superpower, though, and it’s going to make him a lot of money for a long time. It might be unfair comparing Koivun to the greats, but his putter already put him on par with Tiger’s sensational collegiate career.
Tiger won 11 tournaments for Stanford. Koivun won 11 for Auburn.
Tiger held the NCAA record for a single round for 30 years. Koivun broke it.
Tiger needed 19 starts on Tour to win his first tournament. Koivun did it in 13.
He’s got stones, too.
Ask Koivun, and he’ll tell you that mental toughness is his greatest strength. The PGA Tour found out on Sunday. Koivun’s win in Minnesota didn’t come easy.
How he won at TPC Twin Cities makes the hardware even more impressive. Scheffler, the world’s reigning No.1, shot a 63 on Sunday and still couldn’t catch Auburn’s golf king.
Pressure? With Scottie in the clubhouse, Koivun even birdied 16 to push his stroke advantage to three with two to go.
That means he had seven shots to win the tournament on the day’s final hole. He only needed four despite chunking the ground on his tee shot.
And even after his approach almost rolled off the green.
“Definitely had some nerves coming down on 18,” Koivun said.
It’s his time at Auburn that prepared him for the pressure. His career on the Plains was legendary, and I don’t use that word lightly. Koivun led Auburn to its first men’s golf national championship as a freshman, and then earned his tour card the next year. I bring up that fact because here’s why I really like this kid.
Instead of immediately turning pro at the first opportunity — like most everyone would — Koivun returned to Auburn for his third season and won another team national championship.
Sign Koivun up for the Presidents Cup today.
Here’s what I’d really like to see. Can we get Koivun at Highland Park in Birmingham this offseason?
He played at the Country Club of Birmingham when he was at Auburn, so maybe that’s good enough, but there’s something special about the pros putting on a show at Birmingham’s historic muni.
Tiger once hosted a free golf clinic at Highland. Bobby Jones owned the course record for years, according to the old course’s folklore. The weekend of his wedding, Birmingham native Smylie Kaufman played a round of golf there with buddies Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler.
Koivun could probably shoot a 61 at Highland with three clubs. I’ll carry the bag.
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