Koivun: 'It means the world' to represent USA in Presidents Cup
U.S. Presidents Cup captain Brandt Snedeker selected 21-year-old Jackson Koivun with his final wildcard pick. Koivun expresses what the honor means to him.
Video Transcript
It all down to this, the final selection for the United States team, and that player is?
Jackson Koywed.
Jackson Koywed, 21 years of age, a phenomenal amateur record at Auburn.
Came out to the PGA Tour and won the 3M Open, and this young man, again at the age of 21, is gonna be wearing the red, white, and blue in the professional ranks for the very first time.
A lot of upside.
We've heard about him coming out on the PGA Tour, and he delivered early on on tour, and now he will be part of Brandt Snedeker's United States team.
And we are pleased to be joined by Jackson Koywed, already in the red, white, and blue, representing the United States.
Jackson, congratulations.
This has been a phenomenal year for you.
What does being on Brandt's United States team mean to you?
It means the world.
This has been a tournament I've grown up watching.
I love team play.
I love playing for the United States of America, so I'm just happy he took a chance on me, and I'm gonna go give it my all.
Brandt, this is gonna be a name that a lot of people are gonna be talking about.
You selected Jackson Koywed, 21 years of age.
Why did you select him to be a part of your team?
You know, I think we took a long hard look at out, all these guys who were close, but Jackson, what he did at 3M, what he's proven in his amateur career, what he brings to the table, I think is something that we wanted to re- take a hard look at, and ended up going with him.
You know, I'm just so impressed by him as a young man.
I think he brings a lot to our team room.
I think he brings a lot to us in terms of pairings, and I know what this guy's capable of.
I know what he's gonna bring to us, and I'm excited for him to show it to the world.
Youngest player to be part of the United States team since Jordan Spieth back in 2015.
And Jackson, it, you may not have a lot of professional experience, but you do have a lot of recent match play experience, NCAAs at Auburn, of course the Walker Cup as well.
How do you feel like you are in regards to being a match play performer?
Match play is one of my favorite formats.
It's, it's so exciting playing on a team, playing for guys you can call your brothers for the rest of your life, and then you're just going, one on one against, against another person, and the, may the best man win.
It's, it's always been something that's exciting for me.
Was that an influence in the fact that he is a strong match play performer and the fact that he's done it recently?
I, I don't think it was an influence.
I think we looked the whole picture.
There's not one thing you pick at.
You're, you're obviously looking at the whole picture of the player and, and, you know, unfortunately in our s- or fortunately and unfortunately for us, we had a ton of guys to sift through.
But at the end of the day, Jackson just felt like he was the right pick for us at this time, and sometimes you gotta take your gut feeling, and this is my gut, and I have to trust this kid to go out there and represent us.
Jackson, you have stepped up, you've stepped up in some big moments, in your career, both as an amateur and as a professional.
But Brandt will tell you, when you step on that first tee and you're playing for the red, white, and blue, and the brotherhood of your teammates, there's a lot in there.
What are you expecting on that first tee?
I'm definitely gonna feel some nerves, but I've always told myself nerves are a good thing 'cause that means I care.
And, I'm just really excited to step up at Medinah and go play some golf.
Y- you mentioned the total package that he is.
Yeah.
Sure, we see it, with his performance on the game.
He s- seems like a very complete player.
Mentally, from a maturation perspective, what are you seeing from this 21-year-old?
Well, you don't do what he's done in five starts on the PGA Tour this year if you're not ready to be out here and be competing.
You know, he's mature beyond his years.
We did a ton of research through college coaches, through his amateur career, through talking to people, understanding who he was as a person.
And, you know, as great as of a player Jackson is, I think he's a better person than he is a player, and those are the kind of guys you want to stack your team room with.
Jackson, I want you to describe in detail what the moment was like getting the phone call from the captain Brandt Snedeker that you're gonna be wearing the red, white, and blue at the Presidents Cup.
It still feels like a pinch me moment.
I'm not gonna lie.
It's, when he called me and told me I was going to Medinah, I was about shell-shocked for four hours, and then it kind of started to settle in.
But, it, it was truly exciting and, it was just a very big wow moment for me 'cause the fact that he, he has that trust in me and the, the vice captains and the other guys on the team trust and want me to be on that team, it's, it's a great feeling.
When you hung the phone up, who was the first person you called to tell?
I called my mom.
I told her and she was, she was just as shocked as I was.
Oh, that's awesome.
What was that phone call like for you?
I would say he was in shock when I talked to him.
I was a little, extracting a little bit more energy out of him when, when I gave him that call.
But, it was great.
Th- those moments are super special, you know, those moments you have with those guys when they're, you realize you're making a decision that's gonna impact their career for the rest of their lives and showing you that you believe in them.
So you, you cherish those moments.
It's something I'll have for the rest of my career, something he'll have for the rest of his career, but just super excited for him to get those USA colors on his chest and go out there and show the world what he's made of.
Now I wanna go back to earlier this season.
You made a trip to Dublin, Ohio, to, at the Memorial and kinda- Mm-hmm just, just checking out this young man and what kind of game he has, and you played alongside him.
What did, what do you remember about that moment?
What were the impressions that he gave you on the golf course?
You know, it's nothing that I hadn't expected.
You know, I, I've heard a lot about Jackson.
You know, I, I played with him several times, obviously, but, you know, his, his over, his totality of his game is very impressive.
You know, he's a guy without any holes in his game.
That's very rare for a kid his age.
You know, we all have holes in our games.
I still have massive holes in my games at my age.
But to see a kid at, his age not have any holes in, it's, it's really impressive.
And, you know, you just delve through his career and what he's done, you know, th- this seems like a natural progression.
Now he's gotta go out there and prove it, which I have no doubt in my mind he'll do.
Jackson, one last thing with you.
You, you haven't snuck up on anybody.
I'm sure you've interacted with a lot of players on the PGA Tour, a lot of big-time players, but what are you anticipating, anticipating it's gonna be like in the team room, the camaraderie that you're gonna build amongst your US teammates?
I'm just excited for it.
It's, you, you get into a team room with the best players in the world, and you get to hang out, talk with them, pick their brains, become friends with them.
I think that's what I'm most excited and looking forward to.
Should be a lot of fun.
You got some youth in that room.
The youngest being, this young man, Jackson Koywed- Mm-hmm 21 years of age, part of Brandt Snedeker's United States team, and the teams are complete for both squads.
And there you see the internationals, the six picks by Captain Geoff Ogilvy, and the six picks by the captain Brandt Snedeker.
