In the age of limited-field signature events and a small number of PGA Tour cards being available at Q School, there was hand wringing over how top young players could possibly find a path to the major leagues. The answer is coming now in rapid bursts: Just perform, baby.
MORE: Jason Day loving his putting after reuniting with his longtime mentor
Only a week after 22-year-old Florida State junior Luke Clanton secured his card through the tour’s University Accelerated program, an even younger college standout can make it back-to-back weeks for the enormous achievement. When Auburn sophomore Jackson Koivun, 19, made the cut on Friday at the signature $20 million Arnold Palmer Invitational, he earned a point that put him at 19 total, and he needs only one more point to automatically secure his card. He can do that this weekend if he finishes among the top 10, and Koivun is within striking distance of that in a tie for 19th through 36 holes.
Koivun’s efforts come after Clanton’s accomplishment last week in the Cognizant Classic and Gordon Sargent being the first-ever Accelerated card earner, though Sargent elected to stay at Vanderbilt one more season before using his card to begin tour play after the current college season. Alabama’s Nick Dunlap didn’t need the Accelerated program because he earned his card when he won The American Express last season as an amateur, going on to win two events in his rookie season.
Going into the week at Bay Hill Club in Orlando, Koivun said he was going to try not to think about the life-changing prospects too much, “just kind of let it happen.
“I know good golf takes care of itself,” he said. “Go out there, play good, try to put myself into a good spot for hopefully that top-10, and obviously a made cut means a lot. My goal today was trying to inch up the leaderboard as much as I could. But I don’t know if even’s going to really catch that goal, but at the end of the day making that cut means a lot.”
This week is far from do-or-miss for Koivun. He’s playing in only his second tour event of the season after earning a point for making the cut in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, and there are more potential points in getting sponsor’s exemptions into tour events or for results in the NCAA season. He also has said that should he get his card, he likely would defer accepting until after another year at Auburn.
Koivun has managed himself well over two days at demanding Bay Hill, shooting even-par 72 in difficult winds in the first round and backing it up with another 72 on Friday. He closed with a birdie on the water-lined par-4 18th with a 322-yard drive and sand wedge to eight feet. At even par, Koivun is eight shots back of leader Shane Lowry, but only three off the current top 10.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
