From No. 70 to Contender: Why Jackson Koivun Could Make a FedEx Cup Run
Jackson Koivun is entering the FedExCup Playoffs in the last possible position.
Don’t let the No. 70 next to his name fool you.
The 21-year-old rookie arrives at the FedEx St. Jude Championship as one of the hottest young players in golf—and perhaps one of the most dangerous players near the bottom of the standings. While many players at TPC Southwind will be trying to protect a season’s worth of work, Koivun has something completely different going for him.
He’s playing with house money.
From College Golf to the FedExCup Playoffs
Just over a month ago, Koivun was finishing one of the most decorated college golf careers in recent memory at Auburn. Now he’s a PGA TOUR winner preparing to tee it up against the best players in the world in the FedExCup Playoffs.
The speed of the ascent has been remarkable.
In only his third PGA TOUR start as a professional, Koivun won the 3M Open at 25-under par, setting a tournament scoring record and beating World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler by three shots.
His third-round 61 announced that he wasn’t simply another talented young player trying to find his footing on TOUR. Koivun was ready to contend immediately.
The victory rocketed him into the FedExCup conversation, and a T29 finish at the Wyndham Championship was enough to secure the 70th and final position in the Playoffs.
Now comes the fun part.
He Has Almost Nothing to Lose
There is a very different kind of pressure waiting for players at TPC Southwind.
The field begins with the top 70 in the FedExCup standings. After Memphis, only the top 50 advance to the BMW Championship.
For Koivun, the assignment is obvious: go forward.
He can't protect his position. No. 70 isn't enough to advance.
And that may actually be an advantage.
Koivun wasn't supposed to be here this quickly. He only turned professional in July. He has already won. He has already beaten the best player in the world. And he has already turned what could have been a developmental summer into a trip to the FedExCup Playoffs.
Everything from here is opportunity.
That can be a powerful place from which to play golf.
A Caddy’s Perspective: Confidence. Trust. Dominate.
One of the things we like most about Koivun isn't found on a launch monitor.
It's his mentality.
Koivun has been known to write three words on his golf glove:
CONFIDENCE. TRUST. DOMINATE.
From a caddy’s perspective, those three words tell you quite a bit about the way a player approaches pressure.
Confidence means believing you have the shot.
Trust means committing to it once the decision has been made.
Dominate means continuing to play aggressively and decisively instead of allowing the moment to dictate your swing.
That last part becomes particularly important in playoff golf.
Players can start protecting instead of attacking. They begin thinking about FedExCup projections, where they stand on the leaderboard and what might happen if they make a mistake.
A good caddy is constantly trying to pull a player away from those thoughts and back toward the only thing he can control:
the next shot.
Koivun already seems to understand that.
And now he arrives in Memphis in a position that almost forces him to double down on that mentality.
There is nothing behind him to protect.
There is only ground ahead of him to gain.
Does TPC Southwind Fit Koivun’s Game?
Koivun doesn't have a history at the FedEx St. Jude Championship that we can point toward. This will be his first appearance in the event.
But there are reasons to believe his game can travel to TPC Southwind.
The par-70 layout stretches to 7,288 yards and historically demands much more than simply overpowering a golf course. Players need to position the ball, control their approaches and capitalize when scoring opportunities present themselves.
Koivun brings plenty of length—PGA TOUR statistics currently list him at more than 311 yards in driving distance—while also showing the ability to find fairways at a strong rate.
But the more compelling evidence may simply be what we've seen recently.
At the 3M Open, Koivun didn't stumble into a victory. He reached 25-under, played the final two rounds without a bogey and beat Scheffler by three.
That is the kind of combination—power, scoring ability and composure—that gives a player a chance almost anywhere.
TPC Southwind will present a different examination, and the stakes will be considerably higher.
We'll find out quickly whether Koivun is ready for it.
The Mission Is Simple
Jackson Koivun begins the FedExCup Playoffs at No. 70.
He needs to climb into the top 50 to keep his season alive.
On paper, that's a tall order for a 21-year-old who has barely begun his professional career.
But Koivun has spent the last several weeks making timelines irrelevant.
He wasn't supposed to win this quickly.
He wasn't supposed to beat Scottie Scheffler this quickly.
And he certainly wasn't supposed to be playing in the FedExCup Playoffs barely a month after turning professional.
Yet here he is.
From a caddy’s perspective, we wouldn't want Koivun thinking about 70th place, 50th place or anything else on the projected FedExCup leaderboard.
We'd tell him to look at the three words already written on his glove.
Confidence.
Trust.
Dominate.
Then go see how many players you can pass.