Presidents Cup Rookie Koivun Born 21 Years Ago — How Different the World Looked
The short version
- Jackson Koivun, 21, makes his Presidents Cup debut at Medinah; Adam Scott plays his 12th edition.
- Koivun won the 3M Open shortly after leaving Auburn, where he won two NCAA titles and multiple player of the year awards.
- He is the first U.S. pick without a Tour card to start the year since Jordan Spieth in 2013.
- Six players this week were born after the International Team's only win in 1998.
American debutant Jackson Koivun, born in May 2005, arrives at Medinah as the competition's most talked-about newcomer.
Six players teeing it up at this week's Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club were not yet born when the International Team claimed its lone victory, at Royal Melbourne in 1998. Among them is Jackson Koivun, a 21-year-old American rookie who shares newcomer status with 1999-or-later births Chris Gotterup and Jacob Bridgeman. Meanwhile, Australia's Adam Scott is playing the event for the 12th time.
Koivun carries an imposing resume. He claimed all three major national player of the year awards in both 2024 and 2026 while helping Auburn win two NCAA championships, and shortly after turning professional he took the 3M Open title in Minneapolis, an event Scottie Scheffler finished second in. He is the first U.S. Presidents Cup pick to begin the year without a Tour card since Jordan Spieth in 2013, and his selection as a captain's pick by Brandt Snedeker drew debate over alternatives such as J.J. Spaun, Ryan Gerard and Ben Griffin.
When Koivun arrived on May 23, 2005, Scott was a 25-year-old making his second Presidents Cup appearance and was the youngest player on that International side. Tiger Woods sat atop the world ranking and had won the Masters that year, and Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia hosted the event.
The wider world has shifted too. In 2005 a gallon of gas averaged $2.55, a new car $27,958 and a single-family home $287,400; by 2026 those figures stand at $4.35, $50,089 and $508,800. 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' led the box office then, while Mariah Carey's 'We Belong Together' spent 14 weeks at No. 1.
Fourball pairings are due to be released Wednesday evening, with the opening ceremony scheduled for noon Thursday.
Written by the Matchday Live desk from reporting by Yahoo Sports.
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