MEDINAH, Ill. — Justin Thomas looked into the face of Jackson Koivun on the first tee on Day 1 of the 16th Presidents Cup and saw the nervousness in his eyes. And as the 21-year-old would admit four days later, after the Americans’ stirring comeback victory over the Internationals, he was well on his way to having a hard time putting his peg into the ground.
“I don’t think I’ve ever shook like that on a golf course,” Koivun said.
But there was something that Thomas, a two-time major winner and grizzled veteran of these team battles, noticed more: the big grin on Koivun’s face. The kid was loving every second of it.
“I'll never in my life forget the smile he had on his face when he put the tee in the ground on Thursday morning and he was about to hit,” Thomas said Sunday night at Medinah while with the victorious American team. “I think he kind of blacked out and went to pick up the tee, [and] didn't pick up the tee. It was just laying right there when I went to go put my tee in the ground. It's kind of cool to get to experience those moments with someone.”
At 33, Thomas is enjoying the many spoils of a well-decorated career, and Koivun has now tasted the appetizer on what could be an illustrious run with Team USA.
The former World Amateur No. 1 and star at Auburn was a captain’s pick by Brandt Snedker for Medinah based on his match-play prowess in college (13-4-1) and the Walker Cup (3-0), and the way the prodigy jumped out of the gate in his rookie season on the PGA Tour, winning his first title at July’s 3M Open in only his third pro start.
Sarah Stier
Still, with a good number of players with deeper resumes, was a Presidents Cup roster spot a reward given too soon?
Koivun provided the answer on his own. Snedeker seemingly picked the right spots for him—two fourball matches with Thomas in which they earned a win and tie—and then the captain gave Koivun a plumb pairing on Sunday, against the formidable Si Woo Kim. The youngster battled from 2 down to win three holes over a four-hole stretch on the back nine and head into 18 at 1 up. With many of his teammates on hand at the last green, Koivun cooly drained a birdie putt to win 2 up.
“I put him in a big spot today, a really big spot,” Snedeker said. “That was a massive match. If we were going to have any chance today, he had to win that match. The guys were cheering in the room last night when we made that decision to put him in that spot. The whole team went crazy because they knew they wanted the kid to go up against Si Woo, and he delivered today in a big way. I'm super proud of him.”
Koivun said he felt the support of the team all week.
“We had such a close team,” he said. “Our vice captains and captain are so great. It's just one of the best experiences of my life. To close it out the way I did, it was awesome.”
With the way Koivun has performed at every level of golf, Snedeker said he had no qualms about bringing into a pressure-packed situation.
“I thought he brought everything and more,” Snedeker said. “He's obviously a great player, but he's a great kid. Super locked into what he's doing. He's an unbelievable competitor. I had a feeling about him. I don't know what it was, just being around him, talking to people, knowing what he accomplished, I felt like he was ready for the stage.”
Thomas has spent a good about of time around Koivun over the last year, which is probably why they seemed to jell so well. It also gives JT the leeway to needle the man who they may just start calling “JK.”
“Yeah, I hate to give him as much credit as I am,” Thomas said, “but he is really good at golf.”