Jackson Koivun is on track to become the sport’s next superstar.
The 21-year-old has already had breakout moments just a few months into his professional career. He won his third PGA Tour event at the 3M Open, after being chased down by Scottie Scheffler, and beat Si Woo Kim on Sunday at the Presidents Cup to secure a comeback victory for Team USA.
This follows one of the greatest college careers of all time, as Koivun dominated the amateur ranks. This has drawn comparisons to Tiger Woods, who followed a similar trajectory early in his career.
And Koivun has been claimed to share one rare skill with the greatest golfer of all time.
The rare skill that Jackson Koivun shares with Tiger Woods
Koivun is remarkably poised in big moments for such a young player. He’s used to competing for wins week in, week out, so the moment doesn’t faze him. Koivun stayed in college an extra year because he said he needed to mature, and another season dominating the NCAA circuit has taught him how to win.
That’s something many young stars in this generation lack, according to Trey Wingo. Speaking on Trey Wingo Golf, he said, “You have to be talented to win on the PGA Tour. That’s not what I’m saying.
“What I’m saying is there’s playing well, and there’s having a gorgeous swing, and then there’s winning, and that’s a different skill set. That is a different skill set that some of the greatest, most talented players never fully comprehend or can get their hands around.
“And to see him do it, Jackson, and you can say whatever you want about the tournament that was played. It was when he was turning pro. It was an opportunity for him, and obviously they’re not going to be on the schedule going forward: the 3M Open, on the championship series.
“But that’s a skill set that I think so many young golfers that come up have: soft hands and the great thought process and the great shots around the green, and prodigious length off the tee.
“Those are all wonderful attributes, but at some point you have to learn how to win. And you know that was Tiger’s greatest skill when he jumped from his amateur career and Stanford career to the PGA Tour.
“He had already developed the skill set to win, and Jackson is following in those footsteps for me, and that’s why I put him where he was, because it’s not just about the talent.
“That’s a skill that is so underappreciated and not talked about enough. We talk about all these guys on tour that for years were ATMs, right? Well, they’re going out there top 10, top five, making all kinds of money, but they’re not winning.
“There are guys that are just built to win. And those answers from him and the way I’ve sort of seen people talk about him having, like the way Justin Thomas talks about him, hates to talk about it because he’s an Auburn guy and Justin’s an Alabama guy, but like he’s like, ‘I got to give him this credit.’
“He’s that good, and he has that mindset, that sort of missing DNA piece that we talk about.”
Jackson Koivun learned from Tiger Woods’ biggest regret
Koivun’s decision to stay in college confused many. He looked ready-made for the PGA Tour, and many believed he’d be better off getting used to the standard of professional golf rather than continuing to dominate the amateur ranks.
But this decision makes far more sense when you consider what Woods once called the biggest regret of his career.
Speaking to CBS Sports back in 2026, he said, “[Being Tiger Woods is] a burden in the sense that it – the amount of obligations that I have at a tournament.
“The anonymity that was lost that, you know, one – the – you know, if you look back, the only regret I have in life is not spending another year at Stanford, and I wish I would’ve had one more year.”
After everything that’s happened to Woods, it might seem strange that his only regret is not staying in college longer. But it actually makes so much sense when you think about it.
Woods never seemed fully prepared for the spotlight, and he never seemed to totally mature. He was so famous so early that he never got to experience proper adult life.
Koivun learned this lesson from Woods and stayed in school for another season, and hopefully that will set him up for success for many years to come.