Auburn freshman Jackson Koivun enjoyed one of the best weeks in college golf history.
First, Koivun led Auburn to the NCAA team championship on May 29 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California, after tying for second in the individual race. He went 3-0-0 in match play as the Tigers swept Virginia, Ohio State and Florida State in succession for the victory, their 10th of the season and seventh in a row. Koivun, 19, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, left California with the Fred Haskins Award, which recognizes the top player in college golf. He became the first Auburn winner of the Haskins and the first freshman to claim the award since Alabama’s Justin Thomas in 2012.
Before the week was out, Koivun added the Phil Mickelson Award, which goes to college golf’s top freshman, and he was selected as a Ping first-team all-American.
The honors came one week after Koivun won the Ben Hogan Award.
Koivun compiled a phenomenal freshman season by winning twice, including the Southeastern Conference medal as the Tigers won the team title. In 13 stroke-play tournaments, he finished sixth or better 12 times, compiling a 69.25 scoring average, and he went 6-0-0 record in postseason match play.
Koivun, who will represent the U.S. on the Arnold Palmer Cup team next month at Lahinch (Ireland) Golf Club, has moved up to No. 4 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking entering the summer season. READ MORE
Georgia Tech’s Hiroshi Tai, a 22-year-old sophomore from Singapore, became the first native Asian to win the NCAA individual medal, shooting 3-under 285 for a one-stroke victory and leading the Yellow Jackets into the match-play semifinals at La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California. In earning exemptions into next week’s U.S. Open and to the 2025 Masters, he will be the first Singaporean to play in the major championships, provided that he remains an amateur. READ MORE and MORE
Golfers and other college athletes are free to transfer without any effect on their eligibility after the NCAA agreed to end restrictions as part of a wider settlement with the Justice Department. Last week, the NCAA and the Power Five conferences agreed to a settlement in House v. NCAA, another antitrust case in which $2.7 billion in back pay will be distributed to athletes who alleged they were denied compensation for their name, image and likeness, known as NIL. READ MORE
TAP-INS
Carol Semple Thompson and Danny Yates will serve as the respective U.S. women’s and men’s team captains for the Concession Cup, to be played November 6-8 at The Landings Golf and Athletic Club in Savannah, Georgia. The U.S. will play Europe in matches involving six mid-amateurs and six seniors. READ MORE
Compiled by Steve Harmon