PREVIEW

A week after Luke Clanton earned his PGA Tour card through PGA Tour Accelerated, Jackson Koivun could do it this week at Bay Hill in the Arnold Palmer Invitational

The Auburn sophomore will be the only amateur in the Signature Event field as the Arnold Palmer Cup Award recipient. The Arnold Palmer Cup Award is given to one player from the Palmer Cup team, and it’s voted on by the players in the event. 

“Yeah, it was definitely something really special to be voted on by my peers,” Koivun said in his press conference on Tuesday. “There's a lot of really, really good golfers on that team, and for them to select me, it means a lot to be able to come out here at Bay Hill this week and try to go compete.”

A made cut would earn him his 19th point, and a top-ten would lock up his 20th point. Of course, the strength of the field is very strong. However, Koivun also played in the Memorial in 2024 and made the cut in that tough environment, which is also a PGA Tour Signature Event. The Arnold Palmer Invitational has a field of 72 players, and the top 50 plus ties will stick around for the weekend.  

It’s been a rapid rise for Koivun, who had a historic freshman year for the Tigers. He won the SEC Championship by six shots and helped Auburn win the National championship. 

The path to 18 points has been a little different than Clanton’s. Clanton earned most of his through his performances in PGA Tour events and the U.S Open. He made cuts and finished in the top ten a few times to accrue his points. Of the 20 points Clanton earned, he had six points for his WAGR ranking. He had 5 points for reaching World No. 1 and then earned one extra point for maintaining his No. 1 ranking for 26 weeks. The other 14 points were from his performance on the course.

Koivun’s freshman year was capped off with a collection of trophies for his exceptional year. 

Here’s the breakdown of his points:

4 = Best WAGR rank: 2nd
1 = PGA TOUR made cut (2025 Farmers Insurance Open)
1 = Palmer Cup (2024)
1 = PGA TOUR made cut (2024 the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday)
3 = D-I Nicklaus Award (2024)
2 = D-I Outstanding Freshman Award (2024)
3 = Haskins Award (2024)
3 = Hogan Award (2024)

Koivun has earned two points for his play on the PGA Tour. But the outcome will be the same once he hits 20 points: A PGA Tour card.

Is he thinking about it?

“It's hard not to think about that, knowing going into an event if I top 10 I can get my PGA TOUR card,” he said. “But just trying to put that in the back of my mind and go play like I know I can.  If everything falls into place, that's great, but at the end of the day, I'm just trying to come out here and have fun.”

Another thing that’s a bit different for Koivun is the fact that he is blessed with a little more time. He’s just a sophomore. Clanton is a junior, and he had only until this May to collect his final points. At this time last year, Clanton had zero PGA Tour U points. It’s an astonishing achievement. 

However, Koivun feels like an absolute lock to reach 20 points considering he has 15 months and a buffet of opportunities ahead of him, starting with this week.

Earning it on the course like Clanton did would be special. It would be an exclamation point on the journey.

What would happen if he did cross the 20-point threshold before his junior year? Or even this week?

“Game-wise, I think I'm ready to get out and compete.  I think it's just growing a little bit, maturing a little bit mentally that needs some work, and that's why staying in college I think is a good idea for me,” he said. “I think having one or two more years could really, really benefit me.  Traveling week in, week out is definitely mentally tolling on players, and I think that's where I could improve on a little bit.”

He’ll have a great chance to pick the brain of his playing partner Isaiah Salinda about the topic of transitioning into the pro game. Salinda is a former world No. 2 amateur who enjoyed great success at Stanford. As a senior he won a National championship with the Cardinal. He has slowly worked his way into big events on the PGA Tour. They’ll tee off at 10:50